51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Tag - school

 
Menu
Search
 
July 25, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

SCHOOL

One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2025
Japan¡¯s English-language education doesn¡¯t pass the test
An excessive focus on testing students¡¯ English ability is turning language learning into a chore, depriving children of the joy and opportunities of intercultural communication.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2022
Years of pandemic school closures leave Philippines with deep scars
Protracted school closures worsen basic literacy standards and will likely reduce the productivity and earnings of children once they enter the workforce, the World Bank has warned.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
May 19, 2018
Losing one¡¯s lunch
¡®Do you remember what your mother used to put in your bento for lunch at elementary school?¡¯
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Apr 14, 2018
School rules: Dress for success
¡®I saw a lot of men wearing black suits and ties in the neighborhood this morning and thought for a second someone really prominent must have passed away.¡¯
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Apr 9, 2018
In Kanagawa, homeless grow crops and confidence
Kiyoko Ojima awoke to the problems of the needy while in elementary school, when she came across a TV documentary about trying to find solutions to starvation in Africa.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Feb 10, 2018
Early learner
¡®Hurry up. We¡¯re going to be late for school.¡¯
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Dec 31, 2017
Lessons about Japan¡¯s school catchment areas
A neighbor recently asked us to sign a petition requesting that the local education committee keep a certain elementary school open. Due to falling enrollment, students who attended the school would be transferred to a different one in the near future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 29, 2017
It¡¯s time to bring Japanese schools into the 21st century
Japan must develop an educational system that makes its citizens become more relevant to the globalized economy.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Media / BIG IN 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 2, 2017
The naivete of youth can be a costly problem
From Aug. 15, the Yukan Fuji ran a three-part series by investigative reporter Fumiaki Tada about the ¡°dangerous summer¡± that confronts Japan¡¯s young people, including the possibility of falling victim to fraud or robbery.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jul 22, 2017
Marine Day Special: Summer days
¡®Hurry up and pack your bag. We¡¯ve got to get back to Tokyo. You¡¯ve got school tomorrow.¡¯
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 21, 2017
Junior high students rip elementary English as ¡®useless¡¯: survey
Around half of junior high school students have called the English skills they acquired in elementary schools ¡°useless,¡± according to recent findings by education services provider Benesse Holdings Inc.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2017
It¡¯s time to get real about curriculum reform
Overhauling the curriculum to better prepare students for the future is commendable, but only if the changes are grounded in reality.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2017
No wide agreement on how to handle bullying
A better way for both Japan and the U.S. to handle bullying is to intervene before the problem occurs.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Dec 17, 2016
Youth must be served
¡®Come along everyone, let¡¯s go back to class now.¡¯
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 29, 2016
Digital textbooks are accompanied by caveats
It¡¯s only a matter of time before the days of students lugging around backpacks full of heavy books are over.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 5, 2016
Time to include teachers in textbook selections
Teachers are professionals who are less likely to be swayed by special interest groups. It¡¯s time to give them a louder voice in the textbook selection process.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2016
No excuse for Japan¡¯s increasing truancy rate
In so many other countries around the world schooling is denied those who genuinely want an education. Yet in Japan and the U.S., where education is a right, truancy persists.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Nov 21, 2015
Nice guys finish last
The dean is so nice, right?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 3, 2015
¡®College for all¡¯ obsession is fueling truancy
The ¡®college for all¡¯ obsession of many high schools is alienating children who would benefit more from vocational education.
EDITORIALS
Aug 29, 2015
A need to reduce school pressures
The link between the end of school breaks and a rise in child suicides highlights the need to reduce school pressures on students.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER