More kids showing signs of premature aging

Sep 26 (Japan Today) - Myopia. Fatty liver. Lumbago. High blood pressure due to obesity. Skeletal problems.

Yes, as the petals are plucked from our flower of youth, these are among the multitude of complaints of encroaching middle age. The problem, says Spa (Sept 20-27), is that they're occurring with increasing frequency among young children.

Today's kids, it seems, have been hit by a double whammy. The first is the ongoing march of digitalization; the second, two and a half years of forced stay-ins due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, children's physical development has become stunted.

"Over the past three months, more than half the injuries incurred by kids at our school have been bone fractures," an elementary school teacher in metropolitan Tokyo tells the magazine. ...continue reading

Woman Dies Eating Mochi, 7 Hospitalized

An elderly woman died in Tokyo after choking on mochi during the first three days of the New Year, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.

Yasaka Shrine Holds New Year Karuta Ceremony

The annual New Year “Karuta Hajime” ceremony was held on January 3rd at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward, where women known as “karuta-hime,” dressed in elegant Heian-period court robes, performed the opening match of the Hyakunin Isshu classical poetry card game.

New Year’s Sunrise Welcomed Across Japan

On the morning of January 1, people across Japan gathered to witness the first sunrise of the new year, offering prayers and reflections as the country welcomed 2026. From the iconic “Diamond Fuji,” where the rising sun aligns perfectly with the peak of Mount Fuji, to panoramic views from Tokyo Skytree, scenes of quiet celebration unfolded nationwide.

Emperor’s New Year Message: A Year to Move Forward With Hope

The Imperial Family welcomed the New Year on January 1, with the Emperor releasing a message through the Imperial Household Agency expressing his hopes that the year ahead will be one in which people in Japan and around the world can move forward with hope.

Kobe to Introduce Forest Burial Sites

More people are struggling with what to do about family graves, as the number of people choosing to close ancestral burial plots continues to rise across Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Education NEWS

Japan’s Universities Brace for Enrollment Shock

The year 2026 is seen as a turning point when a decline in the number of university-bound students will begin to affect university management across Japan.

Japan's New Adult Population Hits Second-Lowest Level

According to population estimates released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 1, the number of 18-year-olds reaching adulthood this year stands at 1.09 million, the second-lowest figure since records began in 1968.

From Rare Lizards to Dugongs, Okinawa Museum Unveils 4,200 Specimens

A special exhibition showcasing specimens of rare wildlife found in Okinawa has opened in Naha, offering visitors a close look at the region’s rich natural heritage.

Inquiry-Based Learning Expands as Students Visit Disaster Sites

Field-based learning that takes students out of the classroom and into real-world settings is gaining traction in Japanese education, with students from Dalton Tokyo Junior and Senior High School and Minerva University in the United States visiting the Unosumai district of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture in November as part of an inquiry-based learning program to trace the aftermath of the March 11 disaster.

Foreign Bus Drivers Deployed on Local Routes for First Time

Foreign nationals have been appointed as drivers on local bus routes for the first time nationwide, using Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker program, in a move aimed at easing chronic labor shortages in the sector.

The White Flag Girl Who Lived Through the Battle of Okinawa

As part of a postwar 80th-anniversary project titled “Passing On, Staying Connected,” this article looks back on the Battle of Okinawa through the memories of Higa Tomiko, who survived one of the fiercest ground battles of World War II by holding up a white flag, reflecting on what she saw as a seven-year-old girl who wandered alone through a devastated battlefield and the feelings she now hopes to entrust to future generations.

Four-Character Idiom of the Year Reflects Rice Shortages

The grand prize has been announced in the annual Creative Four-Character Idiom Awards, which capture the social mood of the year through newly coined expressions, with the winning works unveiled this year through a dynamic calligraphy performance by high school students.

Inside the Training of JICA’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers

In mid-November, Their Majesties attended a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of Japan’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, a program that has sent some 58,000 participants to 99 developing countries since its launch in 1965 to support economic and social development. The first assignments were in Laos, then part of Southeast Asia’s emerging development frontier, where five volunteers were selected for dispatch.

< 2 3 4 5 >