Japanese elementary and junior high school students continue to struggle with written-response questions in Japanese, while average accuracy rates in arithmetic and mathematics remained in the 50% range, according to nationwide academic test results released by the education ministry on July 16. (News On Japan)

Japan’s relationship with intimate goods is far older than the modern online adult shop. Long before discreet packaging, digital payments, and private home delivery, Japanese artists, writers, merchants, and townspeople were already exploring the boundaries between desire, humor, privacy, and everyday life. (News On Japan)

A growing number of young doctors in Japan are moving directly into cosmetic medicine after obtaining a medical license and completing their initial clinical training, raising concern that the trend may be worsening staff shortages in insurance-covered medical care. (News On Japan)

Foreign drivers seeking to convert overseas licenses into Japanese ones are increasingly turning to driving schools after tougher rules introduced last October sharply reduced pass rates for both written and practical checks. (News On Japan)

Foreign-born sumo wrestlers are often praised for speaking remarkably natural Japanese, a sharp contrast to many overseas athletes in other professional sports. (News On Japan)

Police in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture, presented letters of appreciation to two first-year junior high school students on July 10 after they chased a suspected shoplifter for about 250 meters and helped detain the person. (News On Japan)

Noboribetsu in Hokkaido conducted a drill to cull a brown bear under emergency gun-hunting procedures, based on a scenario in which a bear appeared at a park near schools and residential areas in the city, with local hunters taking part as bear sightings continue to be reported across Japan. (News On Japan)

An event designed to help nurses think about future career paths while building practical skills opened in Tokyo on July 8, offering hands-on training sessions alongside sales of colorful uniforms and stethoscopes. (News On Japan)

Job hunting for high school students due to graduate next spring has entered full swing, with 84 companies and about 400 students taking part in a joint corporate briefing session in Osaka as employers intensify efforts to secure young workers. (News On Japan)

The education ministry said July 3 that it plans to certify Kyoto University as an International University for Research Excellence, a government-backed designation aimed at fostering research institutions capable of competing at the highest global level. (News On Japan)

A night junior high school in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, where all 30 students have roots overseas, is taking on a new role as a bridge between foreign residents and local communities in Japan. (News On Japan)

A major job fair in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, drew more than 3,700 high school students as local businesses, government and schools joined forces to stem the outflow of young people and encourage future U-turn employment. (News On Japan)

A U.S. family took part in a Japanese school experience program at a former school building in Chiba Prefecture, joining calligraphy, disaster drills, school lunch duty and a sports day-style event in a six-hour program that has attracted more than 200 foreign participants since it began about a year ago. (News On Japan)

Aesthetic calm and peace in japan. (News On Japan)

Urakawa, a Hokkaido town of about 10,000 people known as one of Japan's leading thoroughbred breeding centers, is seeing a rapid increase in Indian residents as local farms turn to experienced overseas workers to offset a shrinking pool of Japanese horse trainers. (News On Japan)

A certification exam testing knowledge and skills related to ninjas was held in Koka, Shiga Prefecture, a city known as one of Japan's historic ninja centers. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo Fire Department has called for greater public cooperation with emergency medical services following a rise in incidents involving interference with ambulance crews, including cases in which paramedics have been assaulted while carrying out rescue operations. (News On Japan)

The University of Tokyo and TOPPAN Holdings announced the establishment of the AI Innovation Research Center, a new initiative aimed at advancing research and development for the practical application of artificial intelligence in society. (News On Japan)

As bear sightings continue at an unusually high pace across Akita Prefecture, a veteran wildlife photographer who has spent nearly 30 years observing and photographing Asian black bears says the animals are appearing more frequently, moving closer to human settlements, and increasingly adapting their behavior to survive. (News On Japan)

The Blue Angels, the cheerleading squad of Joto High School's support and cheering club, are winning over audiences with their sparkling smiles and dynamic performances. (News On Japan)