Japan is rewriting the national curriculum that governs every classroom, with new tech subjects, flexible class hours, and slimmer content arriving from 2030. How does it compare to Finland, Singapore, and the US?
PM Sanae Takaichi pledged to effectively double research funding and build a 'new technological nation' targeting AI, semiconductors and quantum, and the Japan Growth Strategy carrying those measures was adopted by cabinet on July 21, 2026. We look at the 17 strategic fields and 62 priority technologies against the reality of Japan's 3.44% R&D-to-GDP ratio and its falling PhD numbers.
Model kits that once got confiscated at school are now official teaching materials in Japan. Bandai's free Gunpla Academia program has reached 940,000 students since 2021. A father from the 'confiscation generation' shares his amazement as his daughter brings home a Gundam kit from class.
The University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering launches a new Blockchain Applied Practice Program in 2026, featuring cross-disciplinary study groups in finance, cryptography, contemporary art, and mobility. Eight major blockchain platforms including Ethereum Foundation and Avalanche participate in a chain-neutral design.
A survey of 2,469 Japanese elementary and middle school students reveals that 75% believe certain jobs will vanish within a decade. Translator tops the list of endangered professions, followed by train/bus drivers. Explore how Japan's youngest generation views careers in the age of AI.
Japan considers cutting high school baseball from 9 to 7 innings by 2028. While 70% of schools oppose the change, heat stroke concerns and player safety drive the debate. How will Japan balance tradition with modern athlete welfare?
Japanese high school baseball once featured grueling training methods called "hell drills." Explore why players pursue Koshien with such passion and how modern practices now prioritize athlete welfare and safety.
In a historic shift, "civil servant" ranked #1 for the first time among Japanese middle school boys' dream jobs in 2025. "YouTuber," which had led every edition through 2024, fell nine points to third. This article explores how economic uncertainty and inflation are driving Japanese teens toward stability-focused career choices.
Japan's High School Baseball Federation is weighing a shift from nine innings to seven, proposed for all official games from 2028. Here are the heat and pitcher-injury arguments behind it, the results of the 2025 trial at the National Sports Festival, the reaction from players and coaches, and why the summer Koshien tournament is staying at nine innings for now.
On December 22, 2025, MEXT presented a plan to a Central Council for Education working group: fold AI and data science fundamentals into Mathematics I, the mandatory high school course, via two new units, and dissolve the Mathematics A/B/C split into a single subject. From the 2032 curriculum, every student takes it, humanities track included.