Tag - japan-education

 
 

JAPAN EDUCATION

A Japanese junior high school student stares off into space while in the classroom. If your child is distracted or preoccupied during lessons, it may be time to speak with their teacher.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 3, 2023
School is back. Is it time to have a word with the teacher?
It’s important to know how to speak to your child’s homeroom teacher at school so you can keep an eye on how they are doing.
A major bonus of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is the time it offers you to be able to plan for long-term goals. Writer Erik M. Jacobs was able to map out what he needed to pursue a career in U.S.-Japan relations, for example.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Learning Curve
Aug 8, 2023
Every situation is different on JET, but they're all similarly rewarding
As a new wave of JET Program participants arrives in the country, a program alumni shares tips on getting the most out of the experience.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2015
Disappointing levels of English
The report that high school English-proficiency scores have fallen far short of government goals is additional evidence that the English education system in Japan is still in desperate need of reform.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 23, 2015
Top grads shun Kasumigaseki
More University of Tokyo graduates with high academic records appear headed these days for graduate law schools or are taking jobs in the private sector rather than joining the Japanese bureaucracy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 23, 2015
Supplementary aids place teachers on thin ice
Teachers in Japan, as in the U.S., may find themselves without legal cover if they choose to use supplementary classroom materials that they've picked out themselves.
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2015
Inappropriate teacher warning
For the first time in 40 years, the education ministry has advised teachers to be careful about using "inappropriate" supplementary materials in the classroom.
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2015
Teachers, pupils: no talking online
At least 11 prefectures and three cities have banned middle and high school teachers from all communication with students by email, messaging apps or phone after local boards of education found that 205 teachers instigated obscene acts with students in 2013.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2015
Preparing students for the global economy
It's not uncommon for teachers in Japan to teach a subject well enough but for their stale techniques to teach students to hate the subject for life. That's why it's so important for Japan to move away from its obsession with testing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2015
Japanese and U.S. law schools at a crossroads
Law schools in Japan and the U.S. find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place as the number of applicants continues to shrink in the face of a bleak legal job market.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 8, 2015
College entrance exams fail to make the grade
Before Japan's Central Council for Education undertakes the formidable task of revising Japan's university entrance exam, it needs to understand why such exams, both here and in the U.S., fail to make the grade.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2014
Grade school squeeze is on
Japan's Finance Ministry has asked the education ministry to increase the number of grade school students per class, reversing a decision from 2011 to reduce class size.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2014
Universities get yen for ranking
The central government has announced additional funding for 37 leading public and private universities as a way to increase their global ranking and competitiveness. No mention was made of the other 67 schools that applied.
EDITORIALS
Oct 26, 2014
Moral education's slippery slope
An advisory body to Japan's education minister calls for upgrading grade school "moral education" — which deals with children's way of thinking and their attitude toward life — to an official subject on a par with mathematics and science.
EDITORIALS
Oct 25, 2014
School bullying on the increase
Bullying and violence increased in Japanese schools, particularly for younger students, in fiscal 2013, although better reporting of incidents explains some of the increase over the previous year.
EDITORIALS
Oct 4, 2014
Poorer students dropping out
More and more students are being forced to drop out of universities, colleges and vocational schools because they cannot afford tuition. Can Japan's institutions afford not to provide greater financial assistance to stop this waste of talent?
EDITORIALS
Oct 2, 2014
Weaker case for the law schools
Reform of the nation's system for training legal professionals — introduced a decade ago to draw people from more diverse backgrounds into the legal professional community — is under scrutiny as the ratio of applicants passing the national bar exam falls to a record low.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2014
Shaming students' teachers shows little class
The Finns, known for having the world's best schools, would be aghast at the thought of revealing the names of teachers alongside their students' annual achievement test scores — a future possibility in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2014
Test scores can't tell all about kids
The education ministry's decision to make public, prefecture by prefecture, the average scores of annual nationwide achievement tests carried out in April for junior high and elementary school students is problematic.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2014
Understanding chronic student absenteeism
No matter how chronic absenteeism is defined, it is crucial that school districts in both Japan and the U.S. intervene early to stem a threat to the future of the younger generation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2014
Japan's universities can't win
In view of the disparity in professors' pay between Japanese and American universities, the notion of elevating Japanese universities' global rankings simply by bringing in outstanding "foreign talent" as instructors and researchers is a castle in the sky.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world