Educational guideline changes that will make judo compulsory in junior high schools are causing widespread alarm. Revised every 10 years, the Guidelines for the Course of Study are precepts issued by the education ministry on what must be covered in school instruction.Full article

"Do you think of Futaba county residents as Japanese citizens?" Futaba town mayor Katsutaka Idogawa pressed the prime minister in a meeting on Jan. 8.Full article

Ikebana International Kobe holds New Year's meeting

Yasue Otsubo, instructor at the Mami Flower Design School, displays her ikebana flower arrangement using seasonal flowers at the New Year's meeting of the Ikebana International Kobe chapter held at the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel on Jan. 13.