News On Japan

Many Japanese schools in turmoil as lunch provider faces bankruptcy

Sep 07 (NHK) - A number of schools across Japan are urgently seeking ways to provide meals for their students following the sudden discontinuation of lunch catering services.

Hoyu, a food company based in Hiroshima City, western Japan, has been providing school lunches and dormitory meals. However, sources within the company revealed that it is considering filing for bankruptcy with the local district court, as its finances have worsened due to soaring food and utility costs.

This sudden development has left many high schools, special needs schools and police schools around Japan without meal services since the beginning of this month.

In response, some schools have resorted to having the faculty buy boxed lunches for the students. Others are asking students to bring their own lunches or turning to other caterers.

To assess the situation, officials from the Hiroshima Labor Bureau spent about two hours at the company's headquarters on Wednesday.

Hoyu's website says the company has 22 offices across Japan. It had 586 workers, including part-timers, as of April 2020.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

JR West Japan has announced the development of a special umbrella designed to protect passengers and crew from attackers wielding knives or other weapons, with plans to equip train cars with these umbrellas.

The Japanese embassy in Turkey says six Japanese tourists were hospitalized with injuries on Thursday after their bus was involved in an accident in western Turkey. (NHK)

Japan’s recent approval and rollout of a new "Replica Vaccine" for COVID-19 has triggered widespread public concern, with some businesses imposing entry bans on vaccinated individuals. The vaccine, which began regular administration in October, has faced backlash due to its ability to "self-replicate" in the body, raising anxiety about its safety.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has granted approval for Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama Reactor No. 1 to operate for over 50 years, marking a first in Japan, reaching its 50th anniversary next month.

Japan is grappling with a severe sleep deprivation crisis, with economic losses estimated at 18 trillion yen annually due to reduced productivity, according to a study by the RAND Corporation.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Education NEWS

Twenty-five years ago, Japan faced a dangerous problem on Amami Oshima Island: an invasion of highly venomous Habu snakes. The island was overrun, with hundreds of people being bitten each month. (Top 10s)

At the Naniwa Juvenile Detention Center in Ibaraki City, Osaka, around 50 young people, aged 15 to 20, are held for various offenses such as theft, robbery, and assault.

A recent survey conducted by Japan’s Sports Agency has highlighted a lack of exercise among teenage boys and girls, as well as women in their 30s and 40s.

We are on a day in the life of High school GAL in Japan.

12 Things to Avoid Doing in Japan that are often overlooked and typically unspoken. (Abroad in Japan)

A Japanese language school official has been arrested on suspicion of aiding the illegal entry of a Chinese woman by using forged documents to issue a student visa.

Despite a general slump in Japan's publishing industry, picture books featuring food as central characters are finding significant success. At the 8th Miraiya Picture Book Awards, three of the top five books focused on food.

Japan's University of Tokyo has come in 28th in global rankings compiled by a British educational journal, up one spot from last year. (NHK)