News
Over 70% of Japan highschoolers use AI, mostly as study assistant: survey
2+ hour, 16+ min ago (345+ words) April 12, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A total of 73. 7 percent of Japanese high school students are using conversational artificial intelligence, with the most common purpose being to serve as study assistant and collect information, a survey showed. According to the Gakken…...
Kyoto Univ. president urges new students to write in own words, seek global experiences
3+ day, 20+ hour ago (348+ words) April 8, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) KYOTO -- Kyoto University held its entrance ceremony on April 7, welcoming 2, 942 new students across 10 faculties. President Nagahiro Minato emphasized the importance of writing skills and international experiences, and offered a word of encouragement: "I hope you will experience…...
Editorial: Japan needs to promote AI understanding in education while weighing risks
4+ day, 22+ hour ago (392+ words) April 7, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is spreading rapidly, and Japan's education system can no longer wait to respond. The results of textbook screenings, mainly for second-year high school students, have been released, with the material set to be…...
70% of Japan high school students struggle to identify 'dark gigs' online: survey
5+ day, 19+ hour ago (394+ words) April 6, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO -- Shady part-time jobs, which promise "high pay" or "cash on the spot," are widely advertised online through social media, job sites and other platforms under the guise of legitimate work in Japan -- and it is becoming…...
Japan begins day care system regardless of parental employment status
1+ week, 3+ day ago (429+ words) April 2, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan began implementing a public system on Wednesday that allows children to attend day care for up to 10 hours per month, regardless of parental employment status, as part of a larger initiative to alleviate child…...
Japan's curriculum guidelines hindering sex education likely to remain in place - "
1+ mon, 5+ hour ago (493+ words) March 12, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO -- Japan's sex education has long been considered lagging behind other nations. Few elementary and junior high schools have classes about sexual intercourse or contraception, and this has been pointed out as hindering the acquisition of proper…...
Kyoto Univ. students display signs, art in defiant bid to keep up tradition
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (331+ words) February 28, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) KYOTO (Kyodo) -- A group of Kyoto University students defied university rules this week to display their signs and works of visual art just outside the school, a time-honored tradition they say they are determined to keep. The…...
News in Easy English: Private universities in Japan may have money trouble as population shrinks
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (218+ words) February 24, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) TOKYO -- Japan's education ministry says about 30% of private universities in the country could have serious financial problems by 2040. This is because the number of 18-year-olds is falling, meaning fewer students will enter university. Read the full English…...
Internship in English-speaking Niseko provides immersive 'study abroad"
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (429+ words) February 22, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) SAPPORO (Kyodo) -- A unique internship program in Hokkaido, under which Japanese university students work and live for a month at the famed Niseko ski resort area where English is widely used, has been providing "domestic study abroad…...
News in Easy English: Japan city to make day care free for children aged 2 and under
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (297+ words) February 17, 2026 (Mainichi Japan) URAYASU, Chiba -- The city of Urayasu will make day care free for children aged 2 and younger starting in April. This is the first time a city in Chiba Prefecture will do this. Read the full English article…...