News On Japan

Scandal-hit Nihon Univ. to appoint author Hayashi as chairwoman

Jun 03 (Kyodo) - Tokyo's Nihon University plans to appoint award-winning author Mariko Hayashi to head its board in an effort to revamp its leadership after a series of scandals involving a former board chairman, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

If approval is granted at a board meeting Friday, Hayashi, 68, a graduate of the school who is scheduled to take up the post July 1, would be the first female chair of the board at the university, one of Japan's largest.

Hayashi, a popular author, won Japan's prestigious Naoki Prize for fiction in 1986, and in 2018 was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon given by the government to individuals who have made significant contributions in the academic and artistic fields. She is currently head of the Japan Writers' Association. ...continue reading

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Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward has installed barricades around the Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya Station as part of safety measures ahead of Halloween on October 31st.

The Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai, and Komeito have reached an agreement on the framework for Japan’s new free high school tuition program, which will begin in fiscal 2026. Under the plan, tuition support for private full-time high schools will be capped at 457,000 yen, while correspondence courses will have an upper limit of 337,000 yen.

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