National Jun 30, 2021
Japan to recheck school routes after fatal Chiba truck crash
"We will conduct thorough inspections of school routes so that such a tragic accident will never happen again," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.
National May 20, 2021
New reforms aimed at improving elementary school education in Japan
The Japanese government will cooperate with local governments to further improve the teaching system at public elementary schools in Japan, education minister Koichi Hagiuda said this week. Hagiuda and other government officials met with representatives from local governments, including the National Governors' Association, to discuss ...
National Apr 5, 2021
School's out in much of the world, but Japanese teachers are happy to return
by Tomohiro Osaki
Japan’s situation contrasts sharply with that in other countries, where the question of whether to reopen schools has become a hot-button political issue.
National Apr 4, 2021
'No singing, eat in silence': How Japanese schools have stayed open despite the pandemic
by Tomohiro Osaki
Japanese schools — which unlike many parts of the world have mostly remained open — are experimenting with various ways to co-exist with the coronavirus while keeping children safe.
National Feb 2, 2021
Government adopts bill to downsize elementary school classes
The class size was already reduced to 35 for the first grade in fiscal 2011.
National Dec 17, 2020
Japan to downsize elementary school classes to 35 students by 2025
The reduction in class sizes will be implemented gradually, starting from lower grades.
National | Regional voices: Chubu Oct 23, 2020
Japanese schools struggle with sports days in the age of COVID-19
The need to maintain social distancing and enforce sanitizing measures has seen numerous changes to the traditional event.
National | Regional voices: Chubu Apr 3, 2020
Aichi schools' field trip plans upended by spread of COVID-19
As the number of COVID-19 infections surge, especially in the Tokyo metropolitan area, many junior high schools in Aichi Prefecture have been forced to change their school trip schedules, which are typically held in the spring with third-year students traveling to the Kanto region, ...
National Mar 18, 2020
Free school lunches to start year early in Osaka due to coronavirus
by Eric Johnston
Osaka city approved a plan Wednesday that will make it the first major city in Japan to offer free school lunches to all students at municipal elementary and junior high schools, as part of its economic measures to ease the burden on parents in ...
National Mar 5, 2020
Experts raise doubts that Japan school closures will curb coronavirus
by Magdalena Osumi and Enzo Degregorio
Public health experts are concerned the move may turn out to be counterproductive.
National Dec 23, 2019
Japan to hire 1,726 more teachers in 2020 for elementary and junior high schools
The government will increase its employment quota for teachers at public elementary and junior high schools by 1,726 in fiscal 2020. The measure, included in the fiscal 2020 budget that was approved Friday, is designed to promote work-style reforms for teachers and better respond to ...
National | Regional voices: Chubu Dec 13, 2019
Aichi city hires non-Japanese assistants to support foreign children at elementary schools
During a recent math class at an elementary school in Aichi Prefecture, Kamila Tamy Tida Miyamoto, 31, a Brazilian school assistant, pointed to the textbooks of Aika and Ayumi, second-grade Brazilian students who enrolled this year, as she explained concepts to them in Portuguese. Currently, ...