Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid held its first official soccer school in Hokkaido in August, bringing about 90 young players from across Japan to Urakawa, a town of roughly 11,000 people in the Hidaka region, with organizers now considering opening a permanent residential academy there as early as 2028. (News On Japan)

Mahjong is shedding its long-standing image as a smoke-filled gambling pastime for adults and emerging as a "brain sport" enjoyed by university students and children, with cleaner venues, professional competition and regulatory changes helping broaden its appeal. (News On Japan)

The University of Tokyo is expected to post a 4.4 billion yen deficit for fiscal 2026, marking its first two consecutive years in the red since becoming a national university corporation in 2004, as inflation, rising personnel costs and long-standing structural constraints place growing pressure on its finances. (News On Japan)

A 72-year-old emeritus professor at Kagawa University lost more than 9 million yen and even sold his apartment after becoming the victim of a romance scam in which a woman calling herself "Aiko" gradually gained his trust before introducing an investment scheme. (News On Japan)

Eighty-one years after the end of World War II, a newly donated book and the testimony of a man who moved to Manchuria as a child are preserving the history of a Japanese settlement known as Hamamatsu Village, whose residents fled advancing Soviet forces after years spent pursuing the promise of a more prosperous life. (News On Japan)

Libraries across Japan are evolving far beyond traditional places for reading and study, adding everything from 3D printers and children's play areas to health-check equipment, music studios and towering bookshelves as they seek to become new centers for their communities. (News On Japan)

A proposal to allow children to decide whether to view graphic photographs and other harrowing materials at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has sparked debate as the city marks the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing. (News On Japan)

Children with freshly shaved heads walked slowly through the corridors of Higashi Honganji in Kyoto as they took part in a Buddhist ordination ceremony marking their formal entry into the priesthood. (News On Japan)

Schools, universities, and EdTech companies in the United States are shifting from legacy systems and off-the-shelf tools to custom learning management systems. (News On Japan)

Japanese elementary and junior high school students are spending more time on social media and watching videos while devoting less time to studying, according to a nationwide government survey released on August 4. (News On Japan)

As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, families seeking compassionate, evidence-based therapeutic support for autism and other developmental needs are turning to specialty organizations that provide clinical excellence and authentic care. (News On Japan)

A high school student in Nagano Prefecture who had been unable to speak in unfamiliar places or in front of strangers because of selective mutism found the confidence to use his voice through three years of training with his school's competitive soba-making club. (News On Japan)

The proportion of working men in Japan taking parental leave rose to a record 50.9% in the last fiscal year, exceeding 50% for the first time, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey. (News On Japan)

A plan to open an international school at a former elementary school in Sapporo has been scrapped after the company selected as the preferred buyer withdrew, citing risks posed by misinformation and protest activity. (News On Japan)

Osaka Prefecture and the city of Izumisano held their first coordination meeting on July 27 over plans to establish Japan's third so-called baby hatch, with discussions focusing on securing facilities and caregivers for children left in its care. (News On Japan)