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July 12, 2025
 

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JAPAN EDUCATION

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.
EDITORIALS
Aug 23, 2014
Women tend to manage schools
The upward trend for women in school managerial positions is welcome, but their total number continues to be disappointingly low.
EDITORIALS
Aug 16, 2014
Student absenteeism on the rise
Absenteeism for compulsory schools in Japan rose in fiscal 2013 for the first time in six years. Some of the students absent for 30 days or more feel permanently behind and give up going to class.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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