Japan's Ministry of Education to host School Attractiveness Forum

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will host the 2026 School Attractiveness Forum online on October 30. The event aims to share advanced initiatives for school management in response to a declining birthrate and shrinking population.

The forum is designed for local education board officials, teachers, and administrators involved in the appropriate scaling and placement of elementary and junior high schools. It will feature research reports from the Fine Collaborate Institute and an explanation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism regarding efforts to resolve “transportation voids.”

Four municipalities will present case studies: - Shirakawa, Gifu: Sharing regional mobility resources like school buses to expand learning opportunities. - Shizuoka Prefecture: Cross-sectoral study groups regarding school facilities. - Sagara Tobu Wide Area Union, Kyoto: The process and financial structures of establishing a union organization. - Tarumi City, Kagoshima: Effective use of ICT in small-scale schools through remote lessons and flipped learning.