Japan’s scientific community was energized in 2025 by major news when Sakaguchi Shimon of Osaka University and Kitagawa Susumu of Kyoto University jointly won Nobel Prizes, marking a rare double win by Japanese researchers. (News On Japan)

The year 2026 is seen as a turning point when a decline in the number of university-bound students will begin to affect university management across Japan. (News On Japan)

According to population estimates released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 1, the number of 18-year-olds reaching adulthood this year stands at 1.09 million, the second-lowest figure since records began in 1968. (News On Japan)

A special exhibition showcasing specimens of rare wildlife found in Okinawa has opened in Naha, offering visitors a close look at the region’s rich natural heritage. (News On Japan)

Field-based learning that takes students out of the classroom and into real-world settings is gaining traction in Japanese education, with students from Dalton Tokyo Junior and Senior High School and Minerva University in the United States visiting the Unosumai district of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture in November as part of an inquiry-based learning program to trace the aftermath of the March 11 disaster. (News On Japan)

Foreign nationals have been appointed as drivers on local bus routes for the first time nationwide, using Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker program, in a move aimed at easing chronic labor shortages in the sector. (News On Japan)

Kyoto University has been selected as a candidate for designation as an “University of International Research Excellence,” a national program that provides government funding to institutions aiming to conduct world-class research. (News On Japan)

As part of a postwar 80th-anniversary project titled “Passing On, Staying Connected,” this article looks back on the Battle of Okinawa through the memories of Higa Tomiko, who survived one of the fiercest ground battles of World War II by holding up a white flag, reflecting on what she saw as a seven-year-old girl who wandered alone through a devastated battlefield and the feelings she now hopes to entrust to future generations. (News On Japan)

The grand prize has been announced in the annual Creative Four-Character Idiom Awards, which capture the social mood of the year through newly coined expressions, with the winning works unveiled this year through a dynamic calligraphy performance by high school students. (News On Japan)

In mid-November, Their Majesties attended a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of Japan’s Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, a program that has sent some 58,000 participants to 99 developing countries since its launch in 1965 to support economic and social development. The first assignments were in Laos, then part of Southeast Asia’s emerging development frontier, where five volunteers were selected for dispatch. (News On Japan)

Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, attended the 50th anniversary ceremony for the Faculty of Nursing at Chiba University on December 14th, where she delivered an address that emphasized her longstanding respect for the profession. (News On Japan)

Japan’s cities appear filled with dental clinics, yet experts warn that their numbers may soon decline, raising concerns that the country could eventually face a shortage. Tooth decay has decreased in recent years while periodontal disease has become more common, and as these trends reshape the market, the operating environment for dental practices is deteriorating. (News On Japan)

Creating a safe work environment isn’t just a regulatory requirement—it's a long-term investment in your people, your reputation, and your operational efficiency. (News On Japan)

The number of applicants for next January’s nationwide university entrance common test has reached 496,237, the National Center for University Entrance Examinations announced on December 9th, with the figure rising by 1,066 from the previous year as applications moved to a principally online system that allows students to apply directly without going through their schools. (News On Japan)

A Kyoto school has apologized after confirming that a group of its students appeared in a widely circulated social media video showing boys speaking Japanese and placing clothing items into their bags at what is believed to be a shop in Bali, Indonesia, during a study trip on December 4th. (News On Japan)

A civic group in Usa City, Oita Prefecture that collects and analyzes wartime film archives released 18 pieces of footage to the media on December 7th, with the materials depicting kamikaze aircraft engaging U.S. forces and the devastation from air raids across Japan, much of it being shown publicly for the first time after the group obtained and examined the reels from the U.S. National Archives. (News On Japan)

A volcano education center at the base of Showa-Shinzan is facing an existential threat as aging facilities and deteriorating materials put decades of invaluable records at risk. (News On Japan)

A former teacher accused of secretly filming women by placing miniature cameras in a high school changing room and restroom faced sentencing at the Utsunomiya District Court on July 12th, with prosecutors demanding 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment. (News On Japan)

Izumisano City in Osaka has taken a concrete step toward establishing a “baby hatch,” sending municipal officials to observe operations at Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto, the first institution in Japan to introduce the service 18 years ago. (News On Japan)

As December approaches and people prepare for handwritten New Year’s cards, opportunities to pick up a pen naturally increase at this time of year, yet the nation’s enthusiasm for beautiful handwriting shows no sign of fading as calligraphy schools continue to evolve in step with the boom. (News On Japan)