The number of public school teachers who were penalized for corporal punishment of students reached a record high of 3,953 in the last academic year, the education ministry announced Friday. (The Japan News)

MBA applicants to the prestigious business school from Japan have dwindled to a precious few. Harvard is beefing up its admissions presence in Tokyo to counter the trend. (fortune.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan on Thursday criticized an American textbook that he said inaccurately depicted Japan's actions during World War II, opening a new front in a battle to sway American views of the country's wartime history. (nytimes.com)

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, working with Panasonic and telecom giant NTT, is setting out to create a mobile device app that can automatically translate Japanese and nine other languages with high precision. (Nikkei)

Japan's labor and welfare ministry plans to take measures to allow more foreign caregivers to work in the country. (NHK)

The entrance examination season for middle schools peaks between mid-January and February. As the education ministry plans to make English a formal subject for primary schools, an increasing number of private middle schools have introduced English as an entrance exam subject. (The Japan News)

Officials at Japan's labor ministry plan to get tougher on discrimination against working women who are pregnant or have small children. The officials say they will instruct labor bureaus across the country to tighten their oversight. (NHK)

Thousands of history buffs visited the Koyamada ruins here on Jan. 18 to see the recently unearthed burial mound that may have been constructed for Emperor Jomei (593-641). (Asahi)

Japan's Tourism Agency plans to provide financial assistance to municipalities that promote so-called family time projects for encouraging parents to take time off from work when their children are on school breaks. (Jiji Press)

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Nearly four years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, discussion of the fate of a damaged school building that was engulfed by the tsunami finally started between a residents' association and the bereaved families of students. (Asahi)

The National Center for University Entrance Examinations on Saturday began two days of tests across the nation. The center said that 559,132 students are sitting for the exams at 690 test centers nationwide. (Japan Today)

Sumo wrestlers frequently engage in superstition. For instance, I have heard of wrestlers who drink only one brand of beer simply because its logo is a white star. In sumo jargon, a win is "shiroboshi," which translates literally as "white star." (Asahi)

Monday was Coming of Age day in Japan, an annual celebration held on the second Monday of January where those who have turned 20 over the past year come together to celebrate while everyone else gets a day off work. (rocketnews24.com)

On Monday, if you are out and about in Japan, you'll see many young people dressed in their best; the girls especially will look pretty in their kimono. That's because Monday is Coming-of-Age Day (成人の日) - when young Japanese who turned 20 during the previous year or will do so before March 31 this year are officially recognized as adults. (Japan Today)

Japan's government is reviewing new social welfare programs now that a hike in the consumption tax has been postponed. Officials are now preparing a draft budget plan for fiscal 2015. (NHK)

Children at a kindergarten in central Japan have braved the cold at an annual karate practice. (NHK)