Academics and others in Japan who have been campaigning for years to change the beginning of the university year to September from the current April say the disruption to universities caused by COVID-19 and an increase in public support for such reforms have boosted chances of a change.
Surveys have shown that many voters and most of Japan’s regional governors support a shift in the academic year, although some feel this year would not be appropriate while universities are already grappling with the financial burden of coronavirus disruption.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has now set up a working group headed by former education minister Masahiko Shibayama to make recommendations next month.
Japanese universities start the academic year in April alongside Japanese schools. Entrance ceremonies are held under cherry tree blossom – Japan’s national flower – a ritual deeply entrenched in the country. April also marks the new fiscal year in Japan when new graduates start jobs.
As a result, any change is hotly debated, with difficult financial and social hurdles needing to be scaled, academics note. ♦
