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July 05, 2026
 

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Kyoto University is expected to be designated as a University for International Research Excellence by the end of this summer, which would make it eligible for aid from a Japanese government-financed ?10 trillion ($62.2 billion) fund.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 3, 2026
Kyoto University to be third recipient of world-class research aid
It is expected to be certified as a University for International Research Excellence by the end of summer, which would make it eligible for aid from a ?10 trillion fund.
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population.?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2026
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
Once volunteer-based, the system is shifting toward shared responsibility between local governments and trained professionals.
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Japan to launch language support project for foreign children
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
How Japanese-language instruction is provided currently varies widely according to region.
JAPAN / Society
May 26, 2026
Record number of students in Japan need help learning Japanese
As of May 2025, a total of 84,759 students at public elementary, junior high, high and special needs schools required support, a government survey shows.
"Kš­sen" technical colleges are five-year institutions offering higher education to students who have graduated from junior high school, with the aim of nurturing practical and creative engineers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2026
Japan may add farming and anime courses to technical colleges
In response to many local governments aiming to establish new ¡°kš­sen¡± technical colleges, the ministry hopes to develop talent in a wide range of areas.
Education ministry officials announce the findings of an investigation into the fatal boat accident in March off the coast of Henoko, in Okinawa Prefecture, at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2026
Government finds school program violated law in wake of deadly Okinawa boat accident
It was the first time since the current basic education law was enacted that the education ministry has found a case in violation of the law on the grounds of political neutrality.
The central government plans to launch a new subsidy program from fiscal 2027 onward to support public high schools nationwide.
JAPAN
May 7, 2026
Public high schools to receive more aid after private tuition made free
The initiative comes amid concerns full funding of private high school tuition from April could reduce applications to public high schools.
In March 2025, the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order to the Unification Church, following a request from the culture ministry.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
At least ?40 billion secured in Unification Church liquidation
Claims of losses from large donations to the Unification Church will be accepted for a year from May 20.
A classroom at Ozu Junior High School in Izumiotsu, Osaka Prefecture, looks more like a cafe, and students can sit wherever they want during social studies class.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 20, 2026
At a unique state school in Osaka Prefecture, students take the lead
At Ozu Junior High School, students have determined the look of their uniform, the design of a library and classroom, and even the school¡¯s guidelines.
Aya Puka (left), the vice representative of the Triple-Helix Roundtable for International Ph.D. Talent initiative, Thomas Busch (second from left), the dean of the graduate school at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Hirokazu Kato (center), director of Nara Institute of Science and Technology¡¯s (NAIST) regional co-creation office, and Naoya Taniguchi (second from right), NAIST assistant professor and program representative, attend an event announcing the program in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan universities announce plan to boost foreign Ph.D. recruitment and development
The move comes as the country steps up efforts to strengthen its competitiveness amid intensifying global competition for skilled workers.
Digital textbooks let students check pronunciation and practice instruments with videos, but some worry about potential effects on children's eyesight.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2026
Japanese government passes bill to make digital textbooks official
Digital textbooks are expected to be used as official learning materials from as early as fiscal 2030 after government screenings in fiscal 2028.
Many high school textbooks to be used from fiscal 2027 have descriptions about generative AI.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2026
High school textbooks to teach various aspects of generative AI
A total of 220 textbooks for 11 subjects have passed the second round of screenings conducted under the current curriculum guidelines.
The education ministry found that 111, or about 14%, of all universities in Japan offering teacher training courses do not provide classes on sexual violence prevention as required by law.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2026
Education ministry aims for stricter curbs against teacher voyeurism
Last year, authorities uncovered an incident in which seven teachers secretly shared videos of female students in a social media group chat.
Education minister Yohei Matsumoto bows as he explains about his alleged extramarital affair reported in an online magazine during a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2026
Takaichi backs education minister after affair report
The allegation of an extramarital affair by Yohei Matsumoto was reported by Bunshun Online, the digital version of the weekly Shukan Bunshun magazine.
Vietnamese students attend a Japanese language class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2026
The limits of Japan¡¯s immigration charade
Until now, the quality and training of Japanese-language teachers were largely left to the private sector, including academia.
The education ministry noted that schools are struggling to find nonregular teachers to replace young regular teachers leaving for illness, pregnancy, childbirth or other reasons.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2026
3,827 teacher positions unfilled across Japan: 2025 survey
The figure jumped from 2,065 in the previous survey four years earlier, reflecting the country¡¯s worsening teacher shortage.
Education minister Yohei Matsumoto speaks during a news conference at the parliamentary building on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Ministry approves Institute of Science Tokyo¡¯s plans to boost research
The institution was selected last month to receive aid from the government¡¯s ?10 trillion fund designed to foster universities with world-class research capabilities.
The education ministry building in Tokyo. The ministry is raising caps on accepting foreign students at three national universities.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Three national universities to raise international student enrollment caps
Universities in Japan typically face penalties if they exceed enrollment limits, but a new framework will allow them to raise caps if they meet specified standards.
Cavity rates among children in Japan have hit records lows, a government survey has shown.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 16, 2026
Cavity rates for children hit record lows in Japan
¡°Toothbrushing programs at schools and greater health awareness at home could be behind the results,¡± an education ministry official said.
Students originally from overseas attend entrance exam preparation classes for high school advancement at YSC Global School in the city of Fussa, Tokyo, on Jan. 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
Calls grow to improve Japanese language education
According to the education ministry, the number of students requiring Japanese language education reached a record high of 69,123 in fiscal 2023.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan¡¯s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to ¡°spend a long time together¡± with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population.?
Iran war exposed, but hasn¡¯t changed, Japan¡¯s reliance on imported oil
Wind turbines generate energy from strong easterly winds on the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture. Despite the oil crisis caused by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns instability in the region could continue to impact supply and the price of imports, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not seem to be drawing on the war as a pretext to hasten progress toward Japan's renewable goals.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan¡¯s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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