Tag - mext

 
 

MEXT

EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2014
Dubious cure for doctor shortage
The education ministry's recent decision to approve creation of a new medical school at an existing university in Tohoku marks a new development in the government's oscillating policy on the education of doctors.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 29, 2013
Education in 2013: an 'A' for ambition, but Japan will have to do better
Will 2014 be the year we start to see a genuinely forward-thinking, globalized outlook for education in Japan? The rapidly changing global economy, regional tensions and shrinking population suggest huge challenges await the country's youth on their emergence into the job market in the coming years.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2013
Year of ups and downs for Japan
Japan in 2013 was besieged by problems in politics, business and society even while several key events helped to rekindle a sense of confidence in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2013
Is teacher demoralization the next step?
Publicizing the names of teachers in newspapers when their students fail to measure up could be a prescription for demoralization in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2013
Misguided focus on test results
Reversing its traditional position, the education ministry has decided to let municipal boards of education publicize the results for individual schools in the achievement tests taken by sixth and ninth graders nationwide. An even worse obsession with test scores could follow.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2013
Major campaign launched to encourage young people to study overseas
In its drive to double the number of Japanese youths studying abroad by 2020, the education ministry has launched a campaign involving the private sector, which is eager to hire more graduates with overseas experience.
EDITORIALS
Oct 27, 2013
Taketomi Town's prerogative
The education ministry has cherry-picked a provision of the Local Autonomy Law to try to justify its order to compel a town in the Yaeyama Islands to adopt a textbook for junior high schools.
EDITORIALS
Oct 10, 2013
Political intervention in education
The education ministry should drop its threat to have Taketomi Town of Okinawa Prefecture declared a scofflaw for refusing to adopt a school civics textbook selected by an area council.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2013
Super global English schools
One recent proposal likely to have a good effect on English education in Japan is allowing certain high schools to teach subjects such as science or math in English.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2013
Greatest hopes work for less
For the sake of Japan's future, the education ministry and others must work to raise the pay of researchers and professors at national universities.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 12, 2012
Are supercomputers worth their super price tags?
"Why do we have to aim for the world's No. 1 — what's wrong with being the world's No. 2?"

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan