Okinawa Cancels Student Dispatch Program to China

NAHA, Nov 22 (News On Japan) - 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

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