News On Japan

New Support Hub for Troubled 'Toyoko Kids'

TOKYO, Jan 20 (News On Japan) - A temporary counseling center has been established near the area commonly referred to as 'Toyoko' in Kabukicho, Tokyo, but the key challenge is whether the youth will seek out this facility for advice.

The vicinity of 'To-Yoko' is known to attract young people, often referred to as 'To-Yoko Kids', grappling with family or school issues. Unfortunately, many of these youths have been involved in crime.

In response, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has set up a temporary counseling booth on the third floor of a nearby building. The site is designed to be youth-friendly, complete with Wi-Fi and a free space furnished with snacks.

However, a major concern raised by the metropolitan government's advisory council is the profound aversion many of these youths have towards officialdom. The real test is whether these young people will actually make use of the counseling services offered.

A city official expressed, "We want to reach out to the youth on the streets to make them aware of this service. We're prepared to listen and help, regardless of the nature of their troubles."

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.