logo
Government to seek students' opinions for sexual abuse prevention

Government to seek students' opinions for sexual abuse prevention

Japan Times18-06-2025
The Children and Families Agency will hold an in-person session next month to hear the opinions of junior high and high school students on a planned system for checking whether teachers have sexual crime records.
Over the so-called Japanese version of Britain's Disclosure and Barring Service, the government set up a panel of experts in April to discuss its details, and plans to draw up related ordinances and guidelines later this year and implement them on Dec. 25, 2026.
Around 12 students will be selected by lottery from volunteers to participate in the upcoming hearing session at the agency.
Their opinions will be used to develop manuals and training materials for school teachers and others.
The agency will also seek their ideas about the design of a mark for certified private operators, such as private tutoring schools and sports clubs, under the new system. The design is expected to be finalized within this year or later.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nintendo to raise U.S. pricing of original Switch hardware
Nintendo to raise U.S. pricing of original Switch hardware

Japan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Japan Times

Nintendo to raise U.S. pricing of original Switch hardware

Nintendo will raise the price of its original Switch console in the U.S. beginning Sunday, the company said Friday in a statement posted to its website. Nintendo attributed the changes to "market conditions.' The Switch OLED and Lite models will also see price changes, along with other products, including some Switch 2 accessories. Pricing for the new Switch 2 is unchanged. The Switch 2 has been a huge hit. Nintendo sold over 6 million units during the console's first seven weeks at retail, the company revealed with its earnings this week. Still, the company has been wrestling with the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs. Nintendo increased the cost of Switch 2 accessories ahead of its launch in early June. That was the company's immediate response after the U.S. began levying tariffs on trade partners including Japan, where Nintendo is headquartered, along with Vietnam and China, which handles the bulk of manufacturing for the video game company. Other Nintendo products impacted by the price changes include the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo. The company didn't specify what the new prices will be. The original Switch was priced at $299 and the Switch 2 at $449.

Attacker wounds another Japanese national in China's Suzhou
Attacker wounds another Japanese national in China's Suzhou

Japan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Japan Times

Attacker wounds another Japanese national in China's Suzhou

An "unknown assailant" attacked and wounded a Japanese national accompanied by a child in the Chinese city of Suzhou, Tokyo's Embassy said Friday, calling on Beijing to prevent such incidents. According to Japan-China diplomatic sources, the victim was a woman. Local authorities have detained the suspected attacker, but the motive and other details of the incident remain unclear. The incident comes a year after a Japanese mother and child were wounded in a knife attack in the same city. A Chinese woman had died trying to stop the assailant. In Thursday's attack, "a Japanese national walking with a child was struck by what appeared to be a rock by an unknown assailant inside a Suzhou, Jiangsu province subway station," Tokyo's Embassy in Beijing said in a statement. A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that "the suspect has been apprehended." The victim was "promptly taken to hospital for treatment, and there is no threat to life." China and Japan are key trading partners, but increased friction over territorial rivalries and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Japan's brutal occupation of parts of China before and during World War II remains a sore point, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to atone for its past. In June last year, a Japanese mother and child were attacked in Suzhou on the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden incident, known in China as a day of national humiliation. The 1931 explosion of a railway in China was used by Japanese soldiers as a pretext to occupy the city of Mukden, now called Shenyang, and invade the wider region of Manchuria. And in September, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen. Media reports about the latest attack in Suzhou were censored on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. "The Japanese government has urged the Chinese government to ... severely punish the suspect, prevent similar incidents, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals," Tokyo's Embassy said Friday. Beijing's Foreign Ministry said "China will continue to take effective steps, to protect the safety of foreigners in China." Thursday's incident occurred at a time when anti-Japanese sentiment is seen as rising in China, fueled by recent films and dramas themed on the past war against Japan. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the war, a military parade is scheduled to be held in Beijing in September.

Japan reluctant to recognize Palestinian statehood
Japan reluctant to recognize Palestinian statehood

Japan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Japan Times

Japan reluctant to recognize Palestinian statehood

The government has shown a reluctance to recognize Palestinian statehood, mainly out of consideration for the United States, a key backer of Israel. Britain, France and Canada, three of the Group of Seven major industrial countries, have announced plans to recognize Palestine as a state in September, an effort to increase pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government's top spokesman, did not give a clear answer at a news conference Friday about whether Japan, also a G7 member, would follow suit. "We will continue to conduct a comprehensive review, including the appropriate timing and methods, with a view to supporting progress for peace," he said. Hayashi also emphasized Tokyo's aim of achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Japan has taken a neutral position on peace in the Middle East. It has worked to support Palestinians, providing assistance in cooperation with Islamic countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia. While continuing to supply humanitarian aid for Palestinians, Tokyo is expected yo hold off on any decision to formally recognize Palestine as a state. Japan is seeking to realize a two-state solution through dialogue, and recognizing it as a state could provoke a backlash from Israel. The United States' unwavering support for Israel is also a factor in Japan's position. A senior Foreign Ministry official said that "each country has its own domestic circumstances" on recognizing Palestinian statehood. "There's no reason to follow" Britain and others, another senior ministry official said. "Japan has to think about relations with the United States and Israel."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store