Okinawa Cancels Student Dispatch Program to China

Nov 22, 2025 | News On Japan

NAHA - Okinawa’s Board of Education has cancelled this year’s program to send high school students to China after officials received notice from the host institution that it could no longer accept the group.

The program, launched in the 2012 fiscal year, sends Okinawa high school students to China for language study and cultural exchange. This year’s dispatch was scheduled to run from November 29th to December 11th, with 20 students planning to spend nearly two weeks in Shanghai.

However, on November 18th, the prefecture was informed by the partner school that it would be unable to receive the students, with no specific reason provided. The cancellation comes as relations between Japan and China continue to deteriorate following remarks in the Diet by Prime Minister Takaichi regarding a potential contingency involving Taiwan, a development that local officials believe may have influenced the decision in China.

The prefectural education bureau says it cannot allow students to lose valuable learning opportunities and is now working to organise an alternative training program within Okinawa.

Source: 沖縄ニュースOTV

Severe Thunderstorms Strike Across Japan

Severe thunderstorms brought torrential rain, lightning, hail and a tornado to Hokkaido on August 28, disrupting rail and air travel and leaving some passengers stranded overnight at New Chitose Airport, as unstable atmospheric conditions triggered intense downpours across Japan.

Floods, Landslides Batter Ishikawa and Toyama

Residents in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures began clearing mud and debris on August 28 as authorities worked to restore access to communities cut off by landslides and flooding following torrential rain that prompted temporary Level 5 heavy rain emergency warnings a day earlier.

Kyushu Shinkansen to Fully Reopen on September 18

JR Kyushu plans to restore full service on the Kyushu Shinkansen from the first train on September 18, nearly two months after the Kumamoto earthquake caused extensive damage to tracks and stations and forced the suspension of services on part of the line.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Education NEWS

Free High School Tuition Intensifies Competition

Japan's expansion of effectively free high school tuition is giving families greater freedom to choose between public and private schools, but the policy is also accelerating a shift toward private education, leaving many public schools short of students and raising concerns that new forms of educational inequality are emerging.

Schools Turn to IT to Detect Students at Risk of Suicide

Tokyo's Adachi Ward will begin testing a digital screening system in September to identify students at risk of suicide, as schools strengthen prevention efforts during the period following the summer vacation, when child suicides are particularly high.

New JMSDF Recruits Complete Five-Month Course

A total of 348 recruits who joined the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in April completed about five months of basic training in Maizuru and departed for units across Japan after a graduation ceremony.

Fingerprint-Locked Water Bottles Gain Attention

A series of cases involving foreign substances being placed in personal water bottles at workplaces and schools has raised concerns over drink safety in Japan, driving demand for bottles that can only be opened using a registered fingerprint and prompting schools to strengthen measures against tampering.

Photo Exhibition Shows Damage From Noto Peninsula Disasters

A photo exhibition documenting the devastation caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake and subsequent heavy rain disasters is being held in Osaka.

Pro-Japan Scanner Rapidly Spreads in South Korea

An unofficial website that allows South Koreans to check whether their ancestors were considered collaborators during Japan's colonial rule is rapidly gaining users, fueling online scrutiny of family histories and attacks on descendants even as public sentiment toward Japan has reached its highest level since surveys began.

British Elite School Chooses Wakayama for Japan Campus

A Japanese sister school of Britain's prestigious Gordonstoun School, whose alumni include King Charles III and his father Prince Philip, is scheduled to open in Wakayama city in September 2027 as a fully residential international school charging annual tuition of about 8 million to 10 million yen.

Experience Gap Widens for Children in Single-Parent Families

As Japan's summer vacation enters its final weeks, concern is growing over an "experience gap" that leaves children from single-parent and financially struggling households with fewer opportunities for travel, leisure and other activities that can shape their development.

< 2 3 4 5 >