As summer vacation ends, absenteeism among schoolchildren is on the rise, with the number of cases reaching record levels. The impact extends beyond children, with parents increasingly being forced to leave their jobs to care for them. (News On Japan)

AI is rapidly integrating into everyday life in Japan, with new applications ranging from real-time speech translation on smartphones and recipe planning to grading children's homework in seconds. (News On Japan)

Japanese women are marrying later than ever. In 2023, the average age at first marriage hit 29.7 for women and 31.1 for men. Many young adults aren't dating at all. Only 53.7% of 20-year-olds reported having dated someone in 2025, the lowest rate since 2016. (News On Japan)

Hyogo Prefectural Police School is often called Japan’s toughest. The academy imposes grueling, highly regimented training designed to test aptitude—what the school calls the “kyojo,” a crucible that weeds out those who are not suited to police work. (News On Japan)

Saga University will open a new faculty-level Cosmetic Science program in April 2026, the first of its kind at a national university. The intake is planned at about 30 students, with a curriculum designed to study cosmetics from a range of perspectives across multiple fields. (News On Japan)

Many elementary and junior high schools across Hokkaido began their second term on August 25, with campuses in bear-prone areas opening the term under heightened precautions. (News On Japan)

Online dating has come a long way since it first appeared. From smart algorithms to sleek design, international dating sites today are more diverse than ever. (News On Japan)

Kyoto University has reached a settlement in its lawsuit seeking the handover of the aging Yoshida Dormitory, Japan's oldest student dormitory, under which residents will temporarily move out while the university promptly carries out seismic retrofitting. (News On Japan)

At the Sone Manufacturing Plant in Kitakyushu, where the former Imperial Japanese Army produced poison gas shells, a newly uncovered report shows that workers suffered a series of accidents resulting in injuries. (News On Japan)

As technology reshapes the workplace, skills are coming under sharper focus. Indeed, the job search site operator, surveyed workers in Japan and the United States about skills. Asked whether the importance of job-related skills is increasing, 56.2% in Japan and 82.5% in the United States said yes. (News On Japan)

Japan is changing faster than ever. Tourism is reshaping daily life, immigration debates are intensifying, and the quiet balance between harmony and exclusion feels more fragile than before. (Retro Japan)

As digital workflows become the norm, the ability to edit PDFs online has become an essential tool for businesses and individuals alike. (News On Japan)

In today's fast-paced academic world, students are expected to balance a mix of assignments, projects, exams, part-time jobs, and personal commitments. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Ishiba announced at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which opened in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, that Japan will train 30,000 professionals in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa over the next three years. (News On Japan)

Osaka Prefecture has projected that the number of its prefectural high schools should be reduced by about 32 over the next 15 years, leaving around 104 schools, as the decline in the student population shows no sign of stopping. The prefecture currently operates 136 schools. (News On Japan)

The 26th Scarecrow Festival has opened in Tamba City, Hyogo Prefecture, where rows of hand-made scarecrows keep the location alive as a cultural landmark even after the loss of its original educational role. (News On Japan)

The Kamakura Shogunate is set to fall and the Ashikaga will come to rise as a new ambitious Emperor, Go-Daigo, plunges Japan into a new age of war! This is the finale of the updated Setting the Stage series, as now, the stage is set for the eruption of the Sengoku period that is to come... (The Shogunate)

An excavation experience is being held at the Tokushima Prefectural Museum, giving children a chance to dig for fossils using stones from a layer of rock dating back about 130 million years. (News On Japan)

A groundbreaking study by Toshitaka Suzuki, a leading figure in animal linguistics, has revealed that birds use their songs not merely to chirp but to communicate specific information, such as the presence of predators or the location of food—functioning as a true form of language. (News On Japan)

The Ministry of Education has released the results of the 2025 National Academic Achievement Test, revealing that elementary and junior high school students in Okinawa scored below the national average in all subjects. (News On Japan)