Shizuoka City, which promotes itself as the "World Capital of Models," is using plastic model kits as teaching materials in junior high schools, hoping to cultivate future leaders in the model industry. (News On Japan)

Japan's younger generation is increasingly turning away from driving and car ownership, with the number of driver's license holders aged 24 and under falling by approximately 590,000 over the past decade to around 5.15 million in 2025, reflecting changing attitudes toward transportation, spending and the traditional appeal of owning a car. (News On Japan)

Delivery rooms in Japan are some of the safest with fewer than two infant deaths per 1,000 births. As a result, many families may assume that complications during delivery are unlikely to happen to them. (News On Japan)

Late-night Slack pings, back-to-back video calls, and relentless release cycles have become routine for many working in technology. Employees are often handed access to meditation apps, yoga classes, or lunchtime breathing sessions as a way to “beat burnout.” (News On Japan)

A Japanese slang term describing children hooked on the instant stimulation of short videos and social media has been nominated for the country's 2026 New Words and Buzzwords Awards, highlighting growing concerns about declining attention spans and the pressure to consume digital content at ever-increasing speeds. (News On Japan)

Japanese calligraphy is set to be added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list after an evaluation body recommended its registration on November 5th, paving the way for the traditional art form to become Japan's 24th entry and its first since traditional sake brewing was recognized in 2024. (News On Japan)

A long-established tofu shop in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, provided traditional Japanese sweets made from tofu byproducts to elementary and junior high school students on November 2nd to celebrate the completion of Shuri Castle's restored main hall. (News On Japan)

Most conversations about depression care in Japan stop at stigma. That's a real barrier, and it keeps a great many people from ever naming what they're experiencing, let alone booking an appointment. But there's a second barrier, and it sits on the other side of the door. (News On Japan)

Shrines and temples across Kyoto are offering visitors rare access to normally restricted sacred areas and valuable cultural treasures, including historic documents connected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the powerful 16th-century warlord who helped unify Japan. (News On Japan)

With more Indian professionals, students and families establishing lives in Japan, maintaining connections with relatives back home has become an important part of everyday life. Despite advances in digital communication, distance, language and cultural differences continue to shape their experiences. (News On Japan)

A Japanese midwife is campaigning to reform sex education in schools, traveling across the country to teach children about their bodies, pregnancy, contraception, and sexual violence prevention, as longstanding restrictions in the national curriculum leave teachers uncertain about how much information they can provide. (News On Japan)

France has seen days of protests in Paris over the rising cost of living and declining access to public services, including state education. Some demonstrations have been marred by violence and looting. (News On Japan)

Japan's children are increasingly turning away from books, with a nationwide survey finding that more than 70% spend less than an hour reading each week and nearly one in five do not read at all, raising concerns about literacy and learning as schools and families search for ways to rebuild reading habits. (News On Japan)

In Japan, excessive overtime work could lead to a presumed cause of death. Lots of workers have logged very high overtime hours. Families no longer accept compensation as the end of the matter and have started taking employers to court instead. These cases have started to decide what a company must know about its staff hours, and what it must do once it knows. (News On Japan)

Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has released a warning video highlighting the dangers of illegal part-time jobs advertised on social media, showing how young people can be drawn into organized crime through promises of easy money before being threatened with violence if they attempt to escape. (News On Japan)

Local governments across Japan are stepping up efforts to recruit people who hold teaching licenses but are not working in schools, known as "paper teachers," as a worsening teacher shortage has seen the national ratio of applicants to available elementary school teaching positions fall from 12.5 in fiscal 2000 to just 2 in 2025. (News On Japan)

Japan Casino School has announced plans to launch a new training course in April 2027 to prepare casino dealers for MGM Osaka, the operator of the integrated resort under construction on Yumeshima, Osaka, with a target of training 500 dealers annually ahead of the facility's opening. (News On Japan)

A growing number of Chinese families are moving to Japan to escape their country's fiercely competitive education system, attracted by a more relaxed learning environment and better quality of life, as Japan's foreign resident population reaches a record 4.28 million and universities report a sharp increase in Chinese students seeking to build their futures in the country. (News On Japan)

The proportion of parents in Japan who want a second child has fallen to a record low of 28.2%, according to a survey by major life insurer Meiji Yasuda, highlighting growing financial pressures, demanding work schedules and concerns about the future that are making it increasingly difficult for families to consider having more children. (News On Japan)

An increasing number of adults in Japan are being diagnosed with developmental disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as greater awareness encourages people to recognize lifelong difficulties and seek support through discussion groups and personal accounts. (News On Japan)