When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the sudden closure of schools at the end of February amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19, teachers and parents alike were left scrambling for alternatives to classroom learning.
Other countries have moved swiftly to implement online-learning options as their citizens have been asked to shelter in place at home, but most Japanese children were summoned back to school before the closures to collect piles of homework sheets to tide them over until spring break.
Japan may enjoy an international reputation for innovation, but this does not extend to the educational sector at large. Brenda Kaneta, an American mother of four children in the Japanese system, says she is appalled when she compares her own situation with that of her friends in the United States.