Local Government and University Collaborate to Promote Sustainable Industry

As ultraviolet radiation reaches stronger levels with the onset of summer, the number of days with intense UV readings has doubled over the past 30 years. While people often remember to protect their skin, experts are warning that protection for the eyes is equally essential—and often forgotten.

Yame City has signed a cooperation agreement with the Kyushu University Urban Research Center to promote regional revitalization through ESG evaluation—a method of quantifying environmental, social, and governance efforts—aiming to enhance export capabilities and build a more sustainable society.

An electric school bus has been introduced for a special needs school in Kitakyushu, with the city holding an unveiling ceremony at city hall to mark the occasion.

“You have cancer and need to undergo surgery immediately.” Cathy Allen will never forget the look on the doctor’s face when he marked the distribution of a “tumor” on her chest CT scan.

Refund troubles are mounting across Japan over a now-defunct English camp program promoted through elementary schools, with a former staff member revealing that unpaid debts linked to the operation could total billions of yen. Run by a general incorporated association based in Sendai called the Miyagi Reconstruction Support Center, the international exchange program—where local children interacted with foreign students—was abruptly canceled without refunding participation fees.

A 27-year-old Chinese national enrolled at Kyoto University’s graduate school has been arrested for impersonating another person to take the TOEIC English proficiency exam, in what police suspect may be part of an organized cheating scheme.

For much of Japan’s history, particularly in rural areas, a now-banned tradition called yobai—or “night crawling”—was a common courtship practice. Until the early 1900s, it was socially accepted for young men to sneak into women’s homes at night for consensual sex, with variations depending on the region.

Japan’s policy to provide free high school tuition for both public and private schools is expanding options for families who once gave up on private education due to cost. However, in Osaka, where this policy was implemented ahead of other regions, even prestigious public high schools are now struggling to fill seats.