Japan Likely to Postpone Introduction of 'September Semester System' Next Year... Government and Ruling Party Advocate Caution

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese government has reportedly decided to put on hold the introduction of the 'September academic year system,' which it had been considering amid the prolonged school closures caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), according to reports by Asahi Shimbun and others on the 28th.

According to the reports, the Japanese government and the ruling party are expected to postpone the introduction of the system that changes the admission and school start period from the current April to September until next year. This is due to concerns that pushing forward with this while COVID-19 has not been fully contained would cause confusion in the education sector.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's working team stated that after reviewing the introduction of the September academic year system the previous day, considering the increased psychological and economic burdens on families and social confusion caused by the rapid changes in systems and practices, it is preferable to postpone the introduction until next year. The coalition partner Komeito Party also prepared a recommendation supporting the postponement, stating that a hasty introduction is unacceptable. The two parties plan to deliver the recommendation to the Prime Minister's Office early next week.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his intention to promote the change in the academic year system based on the ruling party's suggestions. Asahi reported that a senior government official said, "The ruling party's opinion is everything," and a Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology official also stated, "It is judged that dividing public opinion and causing confusion is not good."

The Japanese government has been reviewing the introduction of the September academic year system under two scenarios. It is estimated that at least 5 trillion yen will be required to prepare the educational environment for the system change, including securing additional classrooms and staff due to a temporary increase in students. Initially, public opinion in Japan was largely in favor of introducing the September academic year system, but as it became clear that 33 laws would need to be amended and the costs were higher than expected, opposition voices gradually grew. Especially after the state of emergency was lifted, negative public opinion toward the September academic year system has increased.

Asahi reported, "There are numerous disagreements from the education field and experts, and cautious views are spreading even within the Prime Minister's Office," adding, "The government plans to review issues such as the risk of a resurgence of infections and make a final decision on whether to introduce the system in June, with Prime Minister Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.