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July 05, 2025
 

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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2021
'No singing, eat in silence': How Japanese schools have stayed open despite the pandemic
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.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 10, 2020
Nankai quake numbers skewed to prioritize budgets over science
When manipulated figures on the likelihood of a Nankai Trough quake were released, internal disagreements were kept hidden.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 9, 2020
Japan's seismologists and policymakers at odds over quake science
Selecting the most alarming estimate for a Nankai Trough quake was seen as a good idea, meeting minutes show.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 8, 2020
The truth behind fear-inducing Nankai Trough quake prediction figures
When a revised probability number was announced for a potential Nankai Trough earthquake, some experts were far from happy.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2020
Extend support for foreign students in Japan
The COVID-19 outbreak in Japan has left hundreds of thousands of university students in a chaotic situation. Lectures that were supposed to start in April only recently began to be offered online.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2020
In era of COVID-19, a shift to digital forms of teaching in Japan
Even at the university level, where most students and faculty should have a degree of competency when it comes to digital tools, institutions fall short.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 7, 2020
Crisis offers an opportunity for radical educational reform
Shifting the start of the school year to fall would bring the nation a number of benefits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 1, 2020
Japan’s art institutions struggle to cope with the COVID-19 crisis
Since the quarantine of the Diamond Princess, Japan has gone from being one of the world’s most at-risk countries to lucky outlier, to being again fearful of COVID-19 getting out of control.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2020
Japan-wide academic achievement test canceled as coronavirus spreads
Education minister Koichi Hagiuda said Tuesday the nationwide academic achievement test that was set for April 16 will not be held, following mass school closures in response to the new coronavirus epidemic.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2020
Almost 99% of Japan's public elementary schools shut as COVID-19 spreads
In line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's request last week that schools nationwide close their doors following the COVID-19 virus outbreak, 98.8 percent of all municipally run elementary schools have started extraordinary breaks, education ministry data has shown.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 21, 2020
Japan going the wrong way in English-education reform
English-language education in Japanese schools should focus on reading and writing rather than conversation to build a strong foundation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jan 10, 2020
Avatar robot allows Hiroshima students to attend classes from hospital beds
The education board in Hiroshima Prefecture has pioneered the use of a pint-sized "surrogate robot" to realize what was previously considered impossible: allowing hospitalized students to take classes remotely without being monitored by teachers.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2019
Japan to go ahead with using descriptive questions in university entrance exams from 2020
Japan will carry out plans to introduce descriptive questions for Japanese and mathematics subjects under a new unified university entrance examination system starting in fiscal 2020, education minister Koichi Hagiuda said.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2019
Abe vows level playing field for students taking English tests for Japan university entrance
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday the government will consider measures to address inequalities in opportunities for students taking private-sector English tests under a planned unified university entrance examination system.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2019
Koichi Hagiuda, Japan's new education minister, looks to revamp teacher training system
New education minister Koichi Hagiuda on Wednesday said he wants to review the nation's teacher training system.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2019
Japan's night high schools, a fixture in postwar boom, attracting new kinds of students in today's economic malaise
Night high schools, established after World War II for working youths who were unable to attend ordinary schools, are now providing opportunities for all kinds of people, from former truants to foreign residents with limited Japanese skills.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2019
Japan's top court dismisses damages over exclusion of pro-North Korea schools from tuition waiver
The Supreme Court has dismissed a damages claim filed over the government's decision to exclude pro-Pyongyang Korean schools from its tuition-free program for high schools, upholding lower court rulings that found the policy lawful.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2019
Ministry launches website to provide info on English tests used in Japan university admissions
The education ministry on Tuesday launched a website to provide information on private-sector English tests set to be used under a new standardized university examination system starting in fiscal 2020, which begins next April.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2019
Survey finds 894 buildings at public elementary and junior high schools not yet quake-proof
A total of 894 buildings at public elementary and junior high schools were not earthquake-proof as of April 1, down from 978 a year before, an education ministry survey has shown.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2019
Nationwide test results highlight Japanese students' poor English speaking and writing skills
In the speaking section, many students struggled with improvised speech on randomly chosen topics.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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

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