E-mail Newsletter "HIGHLIGHTING Japan"
https://www.gov-online.go.jp/hlj/en/


VOL. 210 (DECEMBER 2025)

◆Schools in Japan◆

Japan’s modern school education system began in 1872, when the country
was in the process of modernization. Initiatives implemented in Japanese
schools have recently attracted international attention and are being adopted
in educational settings overseas. In this issue of HIGHLIGHTING Japan, we
feature an interview with Professor AKITA Kiyomi about the development of
Japanese school education, which has shaped the country’s distinctive culture,
and the impact it has had on Japanese society. We also introduce Japanese
schools from multiple perspectives, including educational initiatives and
activities that are rare outside Japan, tours offering experiences of Japanese
schools, and the spread of Japan’s educational system overseas.


● Fostering Children’s Ikiru-Chikara (“Competencies For Living”) through
Japan’s School Education
(An Interview with Professor AKITA Kiyomi of Gakushuin University)

● The Significance and Evolution of Japan’s School Lunch Program
(Introducing Japan’s school lunch program, established under the School
Lunch Program Act, has been developed as a system that combines
nutritional guidance with educational role)

● Promoting Food Education Through School Lunch Featuring Local
Ingredients
(Introducing school lunch that makes full use of locally sourced ingredients,
serving as a “living textbook” that teaches children about local food culture,
appreciation for those involved in food production, and the process of food
production, distribution, and consumption)

● Social Skills Nurtured Through a Culture of Autonomy and Collaboration in
Japanese Schools
(Introducing the background of tokubetsu katsudo or student-led activities,
which include class activities, pupil council activities, and school events,
along with the significance of their implementation in school settings)

● How Disaster Preparedness Education Builds the Ability to Protect Lives
(Introducing disaster preparedness education, including the evacuation drills
that have been practiced for years in Japanese schools, which face a
variety of potential natural disasters)

● Undokai (“Sports Day”) Actively Directed by the Children Themselves
(Introducing undokai (“sports day”) events, where children challenge
themselves while helping each other, implemented with aims of improving
their physical fitness and encouraging children to experience the joys of
putting in effort and achieving goals)

● Fun Tour Allows Visitors from Overseas to Experience Japanese School Life
(Introducing a tour program that offers visitors to Japan an opportunity to
experience one day of Japanese school life in a former school building)

● Japan’s Tokkatsu Take Root in Classrooms in Jordan
(Introducing a tokubetsu katsudo or student-led activities program
incorporating Japanese school education implemented since 2018 by the
certified NPO Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (KnK, Children without Borders)
under a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Partnership
Program)

●[Column] Randoseru Schoolbag: A Symbol of Japanese Elementary Students

■POLICY-RELATED NEWS
(Ensuring safety and peace of mind for all visitors traveling to Japan)

■DISCOVERING JAPAN THROUGH THE EYES OF JAPANESE INFLUENCERS
(The Appeal of Japan’s Famous Fermented Foods)

■INTRODUCING PRECIOUS TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CULTURE TO THE
WORLD
(Galloping Across Worlds: The Sacred Art of Yabusame)

■BACK COVER
NATIVE CREATURES OF JAPAN
(Okinawa Rail)

https://www.gov-online.go.jp/hlj/en/december_2025/

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