Japan's Independent Network of English Schools

A recent education ministry survey of third-year middle school students nationwide found most students have an ambivalent and contradictory attitude toward English. Of the 3,225 students surveyed, most felt English was important to study, but few wanted a job requiring English. The disjuncture between what they consider important and what they want for themselves is puzzling and disappointing. In the survey, 85 percent agreed English was important and 70 percent - up from 47 percent in 2003 - agreed that knowing English would give them an edge in finding a job in the future. Clearly, English is perceived as integral to internationalizing Japan and the world. However, despite students' increasing awareness of the importance of English, the percentage of students who said they did not want to get a job requiring English increased six percentage points to a whopping 43 percent. (Japan Times)

I have been studying academic juku (for-profit supplementary schooling) for many years and have visited over 50 individually operated juku throughout Japan. I have been thrilled by the dedication of charismatic educators, and dismayed by the relentless focus on standardized test results and by the lack of a diversity of offerings beyond the narrow confines of the curriculum in an era of hypereducation. In January, thousands of students in Japan sat for the central university entrance examination (center shiken or center test). For ambitious students, the exam is merely a requirement to check off on their way to the entrance examinations for specific fields of study that follow later. For others, the exam is a convenient way to avoid multiple examinations. The exam is one of the ultimate goals that supplementary education through primary and secondary schooling focuses on. (Japan Times)

The government has agreed on a final draft plan for a new preschool child care program designed to combine kindergartens with day care centers. The scheme is designed to reduce the number of children on day care center waiting lists, and the target year for its introduction is fiscal 2015. The government will cover the projected cost of the new program by allocating more than 1 trillion yen in the fiscal 2015 budget to its implementation. It intends to cover about 700 billion yen with revenue expected to be earned through an increase of the consumption tax rate. The hike is part of a government plan to reform the social security and tax systems. (Yomiuri)

Third year university student Saki Fujii flips through a meticulously kept diary of her six-month job hunt and eyes the busy week of interviews ahead -- another step on the treadmill for one of Japan's would-be workers. The 22-year-old knows her best hope of finding a full-time position is by doing exactly the same thing as those before her, in an unending round of interviews, job seminars and employment fairs. "I don't think it's necessarily a good thing that everyone takes part in the job hunt," she says. "With so many students looking to be recruited at the same time, we can't really expect to be employed at the company we want to work at." She is following in the footsteps of generations before her -- but a few corporate exceptions are now beginning to offer a different path. Like most of her fellow students at the prestigious Waseda University, Fujii's school life was one long slog of exam cramming. (mysinchew.com)

Non-Japanese applicants hoping to become certified nurses could see the government's notoriously rigorous exams get easier with the inclusion of English-language tests and a new set of communication exams based on basic Japanese. Non-Japanese hoping to become care workers took the certification test for the first time Sunday, while those aspiring to become certified nurses have been applying for the exam since fiscal 2008. But the low pass rate is prompting the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to consider changing the system. (Japan Times)

The government has turned down a request by the Fukushima prefectural government to make medical care free for prefectural residents aged 18 and under. Tatsuo Hirano, state minister for disaster reconstruction and disaster management, met with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato at the Fukushima prefectural office Saturday to tell him of the government's decision. "It's necessary to handle this issue carefully because it affects the basis of the medical system," Hirano said. "It would be difficult to implement." (Yomiuri)

Municipalities are carrying out tests for radioactive substances on ingredients used in school lunches, but parents are worried whether their children are adequately protected as the tests are conducted in various ways. According to data compiled by the Fukushima prefectural board of education, 33 of the 59 municipalities in the prefecture test school lunches for radiation. Using two radiation measuring instruments, the Koriyama municipal government checks school lunches only once a week, although ingredients left over from lunches on the other four school days also are tested. This means that some tests are carried out after the schoolchildren have eaten their lunch. (Yomiuri)

Seventy percent of middle school students think English ability would be useful for obtaining a job in the future, but only 11 percent want to get a job that requires English, according to an education ministry institute survey. The survey, conducted by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry's National Institute for Educational Policy Research in November, covered 3,225 third-year middle school students nationwide. Eighty-five percent said they think, "It is important to study English" or "It is rather important." (Yomiuri)

More than 40 percent of the national universities are warming to the University of Tokyo plan to shift the start of the undergraduate academic year from spring to fall, a survey found. Major private institutions, including Waseda University, Keio University and Ritsumeikan University, have also shown willingness to ponder the move, which a University of Tokyo panel recently advocated to bring the system in sync with international norms. The survey, conducted by Kyodo News between Monday and Wednesday, covered the presidents of all 81 national universities except the University of Tokyo and graduate schools unaffiliated with universities, as well as 12 major private universities. The response rate was 100 percent. (Japan Times)

The government said Wednesday it will launch a 24-hour "patrol" service to help the elderly become more self-reliant by facilitating in-home nursing care. The service, to get under way with the April 1 start of the new fiscal year, will be covered by public nursing care insurance. The government also aims to curb the ballooning costs of nursing care by allocating extra funds to welfare facilities that discharge residents to receive services at home and to caregivers who offer rehab services to prevent ailments from getting worse. Services at nursing homes are more costly than those provided at home. (Japan Times)