High school tuition in Nara to become free

Oct 19, 2023 | News On Japan

OSAKA - Nara Prefecture plans to introduce a system next year to subsidize high school students, effectively making tuition free for households with an annual income below 9.1 million yen.

Governor Yamashita of Nara Prefecture disclosed the new system on Wednesday, with plans for the next fiscal year to provide subsidies of up to 630,000 yen per student per year for high school tuition, including private high schools. Parents or guardians will bear the costs that exceed this amount.

The target group includes 1st to 3rd-year high school students attending schools within the prefecture. An income limitation is set, applying to households with an annual income of less than 9.10 million yen. Even for households above this threshhold, if they are raising three or more children, they will receive a subsidy of up to 60,000 yen per child.

The move to make high school tuition free was a pledge made by Governor Yamashita during the gubernatorial elections in April of this year, with plans to increase the budget more than 10 times to incorporate the newly proposed system.

Fire Destroys Historic Arima Inari Shrine

A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan Ranks Last Among OECD Countries in Sleep

Japan, which records the shortest average sleep duration among OECD countries, is launching new efforts to tackle widespread sleep deprivation, including the opening of specialized sleep disorder departments and programs aimed at improving children's sleep habits through sports and physical activity.

Japan National Team Holds First Training Session in Nashville

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

Sakurajima Eruption Blankets Kagoshima in Volcanic Ash

A prolonged eruption at Sakurajima on June 7th blanketed parts of Kagoshima City in volcanic ash, turning roads gray and prompting long lines of vehicles seeking car washes after a plume of smoke rose 1,300 meters above the crater.

Japan Lifts Tsunami Advisories After Philippines Quake

A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline before lifting all of them at 4:50 p.m.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Education NEWS

Why Birthrates Differ Between Kyoto and Shiga

Birthrates in neighboring Kyoto and Shiga prefectures have moved in opposite directions, with experts pointing to housing costs, commuting convenience, and stable employment as key factors shaping where young families choose to live.

How Historical Revisionism Fuels Modern Prejudice Against Ainu

A panel exhibition held in Sapporo this year has reignited debate over what many experts and Ainu activists describe as a new form of discrimination—one that denies the Indigenous status of the Ainu people and seeks to reinterpret the history of discrimination they endured in Japan.

Japan Toothbrushing Drill Draws Record 326,000 Students

Elementary school students across Japan took part in the National Elementary School Toothbrushing Event on June 5th, with children at approximately 6,000 schools learning proper brushing techniques and oral hygiene practices under the guidance of dental hygienists.

Japan's Birth Rate Falls to Record Low 1.14

Japan's total fertility rate, which represents the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, fell to a record low of 1.14 in 2025, underscoring the country's deepening demographic challenges.

Historic Kyoto Girls' School Opens Doors to Boys

As Japan's shrinking youth population continues to reshape the education sector, a girls' high school in Kyoto has announced plans to become coeducational beginning next academic year.

Hokkaidō 1997 | Heart of the Country

Heart of the Country” is the story of Shinichi Yasutomo, the extraordinary principal of a rural elementary school in Kanayama, central Hokkaido, Northern Japan. Yasutomo is a man driven by his vision for learning and his passion for educating the heart as well as the mind. (TRNGL)

Challenges Foreign Workers Face in Japan

An Indonesian bus driver working in Tokyo says language barriers and differences in communication styles remain among the biggest challenges facing foreign workers in Japan, highlighting the importance of support from employers and colleagues as the country increasingly relies on overseas labor.

Japan Revamps Disaster Alert System

Japan will begin rolling out a major overhaul of its disaster weather information system from the afternoon of May 28th, reorganizing warnings and advisories to make it easier for residents to understand when they should evacuate.

< 2 3 4 5 >