Category: Education

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 10, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Education Health Japan Work

Experts Warn of “June Syndrome” among Children in Japan

Experts warn about so-called June syndrome, or mental and physical distress due to accumulating fatigue over the two months since the beginning of April, when many people start new jobs or schools in Japan. Much like the better-known May syndrome, or May blues, June syndrome is a general term for mental and physical disorders and is medically classified as adjustment disorder. Common symptoms include inability to get up in the morning, insomnia, headaches, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, malaise and loss of appetite. According to the education ministry, the number of students who refuse to attend elementary or junior high schools totaled a record 346,482 in the 2023 academic year through March 2024. Although there are no monthly data on the start of children’s refusal to go to school, many say that June syndrome is behind the increase in truancy.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 21, 2025 Number of comments0
Coronavirus COVID-19 Disability Education Japan

Japanese students abroad up 1.5-fold post COVID-19 pandemic

The number of Japanese students who studied abroad in the fiscal year through March 2024 rose 1.5-fold from the previous year to 89,179 following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey by a public organization. But the survey conducted by the Japan Student Services Organization also showed that the total was about 26,000 fewer than the peak in the year from April 2018, the highest since comparable data became available in fiscal 2009.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 13, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Education Japan

Bullying victim quit prestigious Japan national elementary school

A pupil at a prestigious national elementary school in Tokyo quit the school this year after being the victim of bullying, a source close to the matter said Monday. It was the second straight year that the Elementary School attached to University of Tsukuba has reported a “serious” incident to the education ministry. The law to promote preventive measures for bullying stipulates incidents as “serious” if they are deemed to have caused severe physical and mental damage to students or students are forced to be absent from school for a considerable period of time.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 26, 2025 1
Barrier Free developmental disabilities Education Japan

Nippon Foundation Estimates 360,000 Young People in Japan have been Diagnosed with Developmental Disorders

On March 27, the Nippon Foundation announced an estimate that 364,000 young people between the ages of 20 and 25 have been diagnosed with developmental disorders. It said that 870,000 people believe that they have the disorder even though they have not been diagnosed. In order to understand the actual situation of young people who are unable to adapt to university life or job hunting, an online survey was conducted in November 2024. 17,398 people responded.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 18, 2025 Number of comments0
ADHD Autism Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen Podcast

Scandal-Hit ‘Inclusive’ Tokyo School Files Suit Against Parents Association and Reporter After Concerns Raised Over New Chairman [Podcast Episode]

On April 15th, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, an educational corporation based in Tokyo renowned for its inclusive educational model, filed a lawsuit seeking 725.72 million yen in damages. The lawsuit names several defendants, including individuals affiliated with an association purporting to protect the school, parents and guardians of graduates from its advanced vocational school, along with a reporter from the ‘Weekly Bunshun.’

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 17, 2025 1
ADHD Autism Barrier Free Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen

Scandal-Hit ‘Inclusive’ Tokyo School Files Suit Against Parents Association and Reporter After Concerns Raised Over New Chairman

On April 15th, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, an educational corporation based in Tokyo renowned for its inclusive educational model, filed a lawsuit seeking 725.72 million yen in damages. The lawsuit names several defendants, including individuals affiliated with an association purporting to protect the school, parents and guardians of graduates from its advanced vocational school, along with a reporter from the ‘Weekly Bunshun.’

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 3, 2025 2
Abuse Barrier Free Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen

Prosecutors Decide Not to Prosecute ‘Inclusive’ Tokyo School Chairman Over Coercion of Female Student

In 2024, at a vocational high school run by Musashino Higashi Gakuen in Musashino City, a male board chairman was sent for indictment on suspicion of coercion for forcing a female student, then in her third year, to write an apology letter. On the 2nd, the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office announced that he would not be prosecuted. The decision is effective as of March 31, and no reasons have been disclosed.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 2, 2025 Number of comments0
ADHD Autism Disability Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen

「インクルーシブ」武蔵野東学園が危機に 松村理事長の経営方針に保護者ら懸念

武蔵野東学園では、松村謙三氏が理事長に就任して以来、教員の大量辞職や不透明な運営方針が続き、保護者の間で不安が広がっている。2025年には、生徒が松村氏への批判を理由に退学処分を受けるも、その後撤回された。また、新入生の保護者に対し、違反時に損害賠償を求める可能性がある誓約書の提出が求められたことも波紋を呼んでいる。保護者らは、Change.orgで請願活動を行い、「学校が深刻な危機に陥っている」と訴えており、記事執筆時点で2,241人が署名している。

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 2, 2025 1
ADHD Autism Education Japan Musashino Higashi Gakuen Podcast

Musashino Higashi Gakuen: Parents of Neurodivergent Students Worried Early About “safe haven for our children” [Podcast Episode]

Parents of students attending Musashino Higashi Gakuen raised concerned about the appointment of Kenzo Matsumura as early as February 2024. In their change.org petition, parents express their concerns that the school as a “safe haven for our children is in a deep state of crisis, and with an ever growing concern about the future of our school”.