Japan’s longest-named school, Kochi Prefecture Sukumo City Ehime Prefecture Minamiuwa District Ainan Town Shinozan Elementary and Junior High School Union–operated Shinozan Elementary and Junior High School, located in Ainan Town at the southernmost tip of Ehime Prefecture, has decided to suspend classes in the 2026 school year and close permanently in the 2027 school year.
Japan has long held a reputation for maintaining traditional relationship structures where men tend to be older than their female partners.
A joint project with the Nikkei takes a closer look at Generation Alpha, the cohort expected to shape the next era. Born from 2010 onward, this generation is said to account for roughly a quarter of the world’s population.
doctors and schools across Japan are drawing attention to a condition known as “New Year syndrome,” a form of physical and mental malaise that can emerge when daily routines are disrupted by an extended year-end break.
Japan’s scientific community was energized in 2025 by major news when Sakaguchi Shimon of Osaka University and Kitagawa Susumu of Kyoto University jointly won Nobel Prizes, marking a rare double win by Japanese researchers.
The year 2026 is seen as a turning point when a decline in the number of university-bound students will begin to affect university management across Japan.
According to population estimates released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 1, the number of 18-year-olds reaching adulthood this year stands at 1.09 million, the second-lowest figure since records began in 1968.
A special exhibition showcasing specimens of rare wildlife found in Okinawa has opened in Naha, offering visitors a close look at the region’s rich natural heritage.