A University of Tokyo graduate school has criticized Hong Kong authorities for charging one of its students for violating the territory's national security law. (NHK)

As job losses surge due to the pandemic, demand for food handouts has skyrocketed in Japan, prompting the government to release stockpiled rice to charities for the first time last May. Another expanded program started this month. (Japan Times)

More than 1,300 students have dropped out of universities and other higher education facilities in Japan since April last year due to the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, according to the education ministry. (Japan Times)

Not long after Japan ramped up its fight against coronavirus last spring, Nazuna Hashimoto started suffering panic attacks. The gym in Osaka where she worked as a personal trainer had suspended operations, and her friends were staying home at the recommendation of the government. (irishtimes.com)

Possibly the earliest motion picture footage of Japanese Maiko entertainers. (glamourdaze)

How to make Japanese food. Japanese Fried Shrimp (EBI-fry) (Kimono Mom)

Keeping a record of toilet trips during the day can help with counting sheep at night. (NHK)

The population in Tokyo has fallen year-on-year for the first time in almost a quarter-century. (NHK)

The combined number of babies born in Japan and to Japanese nationals living abroad stood at 872,683 in 2020, down 25,917 from a year earlier and marking the lowest level on record, according to health ministry data released Monday. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government has found that at least 5,800 college students either left school or took time off because of the spread of the coronavirus between April and December of last year. (NHK)

Today is Setsubun (Kimono Mom)

Japanese municipalities with large populations of foreign residents are planning to provide interpretation services for them at coronavirus vaccination sites. (NHK)

A website developer in Japan has curated a platform highlighting neighbourhoods that have 'noisy children'. The platform is being accused of fuelling intolerance. (WION)

Looking after your child when they are studying abroad can be challenging for a number of reasons. (newsonjapan.com)

The Japan government has launched an initiative called GIGA (Global Innovation Gateway for All) that will allow local boards of education to provides a device for each student in Grades 1-9. (Google)

Japan's health ministry says coupons required for receiving coronavirus vaccination will first be issued to senior citizens. (NHK)

A Japanese court has ruled in favor of a public high school in a case involving the color of a female student's hair. But it also awarded the student damages in a separate decision. (NHK)

The annual number of juvenile suicides in Japan hit 479 in 2020, the highest figure since records began to be kept in 1980, education ministry data showed Monday. (Kyodo)

There have been disturbing reports in Japan of foreign technical interns abandoning their newborns to avoid deportation. Many of them are unaware they are protected under Japanese labor law, which prohibits the dismissal of employees due to childbirth or pregnancy. (Nikkei)

The second round of entrance examinations for national and public universities is scheduled to start on Feb. 25, during a pandemic-impacted exam season that has forced institutions to implement coronavirus countermeasures. (the-japan-news.com)