EDUCATION

A total of 249 music school operators in Japan have launched a group lawsuit against music copyright management body JASRAC’s plan to collect royalties on music played in lesson time. (Jiji)

Around half of junior high school students have called the English skills they acquired in elementary schools “useless,” according to recent findings by education services provider Benesse Holdings Inc. (Japan Times)

Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 31-year-old teacher in an alleged attempted arson case at a kindergarten in Miyakojima Ward last month, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

A government survey showed Friday that 55.9 pct of Japanese men took child care leave within two months after their wives gave birth. (Jiji)

Two children who attended the same preschool in Kawasaki died within a week earlier this month, possibly due to an infectious disease, city officials said. (Japan Times)

A wild boar entered the grounds of a Kyoto University dormitory in Kyoto’s Sakyo Ward Tuesday, bumping into a man in his 60s on a bicycle before being captured. The man suffered a minor injury to his right leg. (Japan Times)

A soccer coach of a private senior high school near Tokyo has been fired after a video of him striking a player was posted online. (NHK)

The number of non-Japanese children at public schools who are lacking in Japanese language skills and who need remedial lessons hit a record 34,335 as of May last year, the latest survey by the education ministry showed Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A student-led movement is campaigning to raise Japan’s minimum wage and improve the lives of low-paid workers, many of whom struggle to meet their basic needs despite toiling long hours. (Japan Today)

Schools in Japan that train certified care workers – who play a core role in nursing care – have seen a rapid increase in the number of foreign students. (lmtonline.com)