Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Monday held a roundtable in Tokyo with industry leaders of Japan on opportunities for Indo-Japanese collaboration across the energy value chain.

“We discussed how the Indo-Pacific’s energy stability and sustainable growth will be shaped by India’s massive scale particularly underlined by the unprecedented initiatives to further expand and strengthen the energy infrastructure under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, and Japan’s cutting edge technological leadership,” the minister said in a post on X.

At a time when India is opening up over $500 billion in investment opportunities across exploration and production (E&P), LNG, city gas distribution, hydrogen, shipping, and new fuels, the two countries perfectly complement each other -- India has a large and young workforce backed by a conducive business ecosystem and far reaching reforms driven by the Make in India spirit to ‘Make in India for the World’, while Japan offers advanced technology and innovation, infrastructure leadership in green and environmental technologies, the minister further elaborated.

He highlighted that India’s policy reforms with 100 per cent FDI, transparent bidding, year-round exploration licensing have created a predictable, investor-friendly energy environment.

India’s 6 major oil and gas PSUs recorded revenues of around $315 billion in FY 2024-25 which is about 8 per cent of India’s GDP. Such scale demonstrates India’s role as a global energy anchor, and a reliable partner for Japanese investors and technology leaders, the minister pointed out.

Earlier this month, Puri had highlighted that “from the sands of Rajasthan to the sea depths of the KG Basin - Bharat is mapping its own energy future."
While 1 million square km offshore area is now open for oilfield exploration, 99 per cent of 'No-Go' areas have been cleared, he said.

The oil and gas blocks being offered under the Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) have already garnered attention from global and domestic energy players, and Round X is expected to set new benchmarks for participation and investment, he added.
 
 

Attending a private high school will effectively be free for all students from next April, as the income limit to receive government support for tuition payments will be eliminated.

The government’s policy for tuition-free high school is meant to provide fair educational opportunities by reducing the financial burden on families.

However, private high schools may become more popular as a result of this change, and there are fears that this will trigger a decline in public institutions.

This could lead to a less diverse educational environment.



Private schools as an option

Since April 2025, a subsidy of ¥118,800 for high school tuition has been granted per student, regardless of whether the school is public or private or the family’s economic situation.

Households that include students at a private high school and that have an annual income below ¥5.9 million can receive up to ¥396,000.

However, from April 2026, the income requirement will be abolished, and the payment ceiling will be uniformly raised to ¥457,000 a year — equivalent to the national average for private high school tuition — effectively making tuition free.

Furthermore, eligibility for a supplemental scholarship fund that covers such expenses as textbooks and school trips will expand from households that receive welfare to include middle-income families as well.

Parents of private high school students and exam candidates have welcomed this de facto elimination of tuition.

“This should attract students who previously gave up on private high schools due to tuition costs,” said Futoshi Nakajima, the principal of Abiko Nikaido High School, whose annual tuition is about ¥360,000.

The policy delighted a 42-year-old woman who was attending the school’s admission information session for third-year junior high school students in October. “We can now consider private high schools as an option,” the woman said.


Competition for students

Private high schools are likely to gain popularity for their well-equipped facilities and strong focus on supporting students’ efforts to prepare for university.

Public high schools are already losing popularity in municipalities that supplement the national tuition assistance with their own grant programs.

Osaka Prefecture, for example, has taken the lead in implementing de facto tuition-free education, starting a phased tuition subsidy program in fiscal 2024 without restrictions based on family income. The maximum subsidy is ¥630,000 per year.

This spring, the application-to-seat ratio for Osaka prefectural high schools fell to a record low of 1.02, with 79 out of 142 schools failing to meet their enrollment quotas in the general entrance exams.

Tokyo has supported private high school students with up to ¥484,000 annually since April 2024. Nearly 40% of Tokyo-run high schools fell short of their enrollment targets in this spring’s entrance exams.

Some private high schools in Tokyo have expanded their school bus routes to attract more students living outside Tokyo. As the de facto tuition-free policy spreads nationwide, competition for students is likely to intensify, particularly in urban areas with many private high schools.

“Not only top-performing students but also mid-level applicants will choose private high schools with better educational environments and university placement records from among schools in the same standard score range,” said the head of the education information department at Kawaijuku Shingaku Kenkyusha.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is concerned about a possible decline in public industrial and agricultural high schools, which cultivate talent essential for regional industries.

The ministry plans to formulate a comprehensive strategy within this academic year to enhance the appeal of public high schools. It will also require prefectures to establish and implement high school reform plans tailored to their local circumstances.


Economic disparities

The goal of tuition-free education is to create an environment in which children can attend the school of their choice, regardless of their parents’ economic status.

However, the expanded support from April 2026 significantly benefits high-income households: The grant will increase by about ¥60,000 for households with an annual income below ¥5.9 million, but by more than ¥330,000 for households earning ¥5.9 million or more.

Households with higher incomes can funnel the saved fees to such educational expenses as cram schools. Some have said the pattern in which economic disparities among parents translate into differences in children’s academic performance remains unresolved.

University of Tokyo Prof. Kan Suzuki, who specializes in educational policy, said the effectiveness of the policy needs to be checked after it is introduced.

“We should determine whether this policy is helping improve the quality of education, or if closures of nearby public high schools are making it difficult for a number of students to commute. The policy then must be improved to be more balanced.”
 

 

Japan's Environment Ministry says 88 people were attacked by bears across the nation in October alone, with seven of the victims dying. That's the worst figure for any month in the past decade.

The ministry also says that from April to the end of October, 12 people were killed and 184 were injured.

Casualties were reported in 21 of the country's 47 prefectures. Akita topped the list at 56, followed by 34 in Iwate, 20 in Fukushima, 15 in Nagano and 13 in Niigata.

The ministry says that in fiscal 2023 when bear attacks were rampant, 73 people were attacked in October alone. The full-year casualty figure was 219, including six fatalities.

As for November of that year, 30 people were injured and no one was killed.
But data compiled by NHK show that at least 27 people were attacked by bears so far this month, and one of them has died.
 
 

The average correct answer rate was as low as 25.6% for description-type questions in the Japanese-language section of the fiscal 2025 national achievement test for junior high school third-graders, the education ministry has said.

Among such questions, students seemed to struggle especially with those asking them to write their thoughts in a way that others can understand.

The fiscal 2025 achievement test for elementary school sixth-graders and junior high school third-graders was held in April, with a total of some 1.9 million students participating from about 28,000 schools nationwide.
This year, the ministry released test results by gender for the first time.

Female students in both elementary school sixth grade and junior high school third grade gave more correct answers to Japanese-language questions than male students. More girls than boys in both grades said that they like, are good at or understand the subject well.

In the mathematics and science segments of the national test, no significant gender gaps were seen in correct answer rates. However, fewer girls than boys said that they like, are good at or understand the subjects well.

These tendencies in mathematics and science were also observed in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. A ministry official said that the tendencies are believed to derive from multiple factors, including gender-related unconscious bias and biological differences between males and females.

The average correct answer rate for each subject had been released earlier. Among elementary school sixth-graders, the correct answer rate came to 67.0% for Japanese language, 58.2% for mathematics, and 57.3% for science.

Among junior high school third-graders, the rate was 54.6% for Japanese language and 48.8% for mathematics, while the average score in science, calculated with 500 points as the base, was 505.
 
 

A send-off event was held at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday for 11 assistant language teachers and three international exchange coordinators who will be dispatched from India to Japan.

This marks the first regular dispatch of assistant language teachers from India under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a government initiative to promote international exchanges at the regional level. Only a few such personnel from India have participated in the program until now.

The assistant teachers and coordinators will engage in English education and international exchange activities at schools and municipal offices in 11 prefectures across Japan for three years.

Srishti Taneja, 24, will teach at elementary and junior high schools in the northern city of Otaru, Hokkaido. "I have received precious lessons and experiences from Japan and its people," she said in fluent Japanese. "Now, it is my turn to give back. I will do my best to support children in Japan."

The start of the regular dispatch program is "a great step forward in grassroots exchanges between Japan and India and essential to further strengthen bilateral relations," Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Ono said.
 
 

Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife.

While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace.

At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred up for about an hour.

While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialisation, project lead Takuzo Aida said their research has attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector.

Scientists worldwide are racing to develop innovative solutions to the growing plastic waste crisis, an effort championed by awareness campaigns such as World Environment Day taking place on June 5.

Plastic pollution is set to triple by 2040, the UN Environment Programme has predicted, adding 23-37 million metric tons of waste into the world's oceans each year.

"Children cannot choose the planet they will live on. It is our duty as scientists to ensure that we leave them with best possible environment," Aida said.

Aida said the new material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but breaks down into its original components when exposed to salt. Those components can then be further processed by naturally occurring bacteria, thereby avoiding generating microplastics that can harm aquatic life and enter the food chain.

As salt is also present in soil, a piece about five centimetres (two inches) in size disintegrates on land after over 200 hours, he added.

The material can be used like regular plastic when coated, and the team are focusing their current research on the best coating methods, Aida said. The plastic is non-toxic, non-flammable, and does not emit carbon dioxide, he added.
 
 

 

The Japanese government on Tuesday called on domestic universities to consider temporarily accepting students enrolled at U.S. schools after Washington's move to bar foreign students from Harvard University.

The move to support Japanese and other foreign students studying in the United States came after the University of Tokyo said the previous day it is considering accepting international students from Harvard if they are affected by the U.S. policy.

Kyoto University also said later in the day it is considering accepting international students and young researchers from Harvard University.

The university in western Japan said it has been paying close attention to the situation in the United States and is "making detailed considerations to accept international students who are enrolled at U.S. universities."
 
The Japan Student Services Organization plans to release each university's stance on providing the support, the education ministry said.
 
"We'd like to work with related institutions and make utmost efforts to guarantee education for young people with ambition and talent," education minister Toshiko Abe said at a press conference.
 
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday moved to end Harvard's ability to accept foreign students and force current students to transfer or lose their legal status by deciding to revoke certification for the university's Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
 
But international students are expected to remain enrolled at the university under a temporary injunction by a U.S. federal district court while the legality of the administration's decision is reviewed.
 
Currently, 110 Japanese students and 150 researchers are enrolled at Harvard, according to the education ministry.
 
The ministry will provide a consultation service on the Japan Student Services Organization's website for students studying in the United States.
 
 

With the increase in foreign visitors and residents in Japan, a growing number of medical institutions have taken steps to ensure smooth treatment and avoid problems, including using interpreters.

The number of medical institutions listed by the government as being cooperative in accepting foreign patients has increased 50% since 2019, when such data began to be regularly published.

The government, however, plans to take measures to improve the situation further because there are disparities in efforts between regions and medical institutions due to financial difficulties and other reasons.


Doctors with overseas experience

In mid-February, Ronald Nichols, a 67-year-old American who said he injured his back while playing golf, was examined by Ryuichiro Sasae, 44, at NTT Medical Center Tokyo in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo.

Sasae, who speaks fluent English, prescribed a sleeping medication to Nichols, who said he wakes up in the middle of the night recently because of the pain. The doctor also advised him to lose some weight. Nichols said it was very helpful that Sasae considered with him ways to ease his pain and worries.

The hospital, which has about 600 beds, established in 2020 the Department of International Healthcare to treat non-Japanese patients. Sasae and other doctors with extensive experience working at hospitals overseas serve as general practitioners who treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries.

They also have their patients treated by specialists as needed. In addition, there are staff on hand who can communicate with overseas insurance companies.
Last year, there were about 12,000 visits by foreign outpatients to the hospital.

“We want to further improve our preparations so that foreign nationals can feel at ease,” Sasae said.


List of cooperative institutions

The number of foreign nationals visiting or living in Japan continues to rise due to the promotion of Japan as a tourism-oriented country and the admission of international workers. The annual number of visitors to Japan has reached about 36.87 million, and the number of foreign residents has hit about 3.77 million.

In response to these developments, the government began efforts to create an environment in which foreigners can receive medical care with peace of mind. In July 2019, the government started publishing a list of medical institutions that are cooperative in accepting foreign patients and have been certified by each prefecture as meeting the necessary criteria.

The number of medical institutions listed initially tallied about 1,600, but the figure increased to 2,455 as of April 24. The list, which includes information on the languages and cashless payment services each institution can accommodate, is available on the websites of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The ministry has created a manual for medical institutions that includes guidelines for establishing interpretation services. It also encourages prefectures to establish councils where local governments, medical institutions and accommodations facilities can discuss measures to strengthen the acceptance of foreign patients, while subsidizing half of relevant operating costs.

The Osaka prefectural government, which is hosting the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, has been holding regular council meetings since 2018, utilizing the subsidies.

Anticipating a large number of foreign visitors to the Expo, the prefecture has been studying measures to strengthen emergency response systems within the prefecture and heatstroke countermeasures at the event venue.


Monetary incentives needed

However, initiatives by local governments are lacking in scope. Only 17 prefectures have established such councils.

“We were unable to focus on strengthening the measures to accept foreign patients because we were busy with handling the COVID-19 pandemic,” a local government official said.

In addition to rising prices and labor costs, medical institutions are facing a tendency for people to refrain from visiting medical facilities during and after the pandemic.

A nationwide survey conducted by the Japan Hospital Association and others last year found that 53.4% of hospitals in Japan operated in the red in fiscal 2023, more than double the percentage from the previous year at 23%.

Some doctors voiced concern, saying that monetary incentives are needed to motivate health care providers to treat foreign patients because they lack the resources to improve their preparations.
 
 

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto expressed Indonesia’s keenness to strengthen bilateral ties by engaging Japan in more collaborative initiatives in the higher education sector.

While receiving a visit from Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasushi Masaki at his office in Jakarta on Thursday (March 6), Yuliarto highlighted the potential for cooperation in joint research, university consortiums, and scholarship programs.

“We have been enjoying great cooperation with Japan. I would like to seize the opportunity for further collaboration, including through a joint research program whose results are mutually beneficial for both countries,” he remarked.

Yuliarto then underlined that the Indonesia-Japan educational partnership has involved various universities across the two countries, including Gadjah Mada University, IPB University, Bandung Technology Institute (ITB), University of Indonesia, Brawijaya University, Hiroshima University, Saga University, Tohoku University, Kagoshima University, and Kobe University.

He noted that in 2024, a total of 89 Japanese nationals were registered as students at various higher education institutions in Indonesia.

During the meeting, the minister also told the ambassador that President Prabowo Subianto had set several priority goals for his administration, including self-sufficiency in food, energy security, clean water availability, the downstreaming of natural resources, and digital transformation.

"Our plan is to achieve these five goals through innovation and the use of technology. I hope that Indonesia's collaboration with Japan will contribute to this end," he affirmed.

Ambassador Masaki, for his part, positively received the Indonesian government's interest in advancing its cooperation with Japan.

He also invited Minister Yuliarto to deliver a keynote speech at an upcoming forum that will bring together rectors from Indonesia and Japan. This event first took place in 2010 as a joint working group.
 

Founder of the Sakuranesia Foundation, Tovic Rustam, along with Sakura Ijuin, paid a courtesy visit to Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Rustam, in a statement released in Jakarta on Friday, said that the Sakuranesia Foundation is an organization that focuses on developing educational ties between Japan and Indonesia.

"I hope this can be a momentum to deepen cultural exchange with Indonesia," he added.

He said the visit was made with the support of Azalee Group director, Kurusu, and general manager Yamaguchi, who have built a comprehensive cooperative relationship with Bunkyo Gakuin University.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed the possibility of establishing a Japanese language faculty in Indonesia as a concrete step in educational cooperation.

Founded in 1924 as Shimada Saihou Denshusho, or Shimada Sewing Training Institute, Bunkyo Gakuin University has now developed into an integrated educational institution, offering kindergarten to postgraduate programs.

The university is known for its philosophy of "Independence and Coexistence," which continues to be relevant today.

In 2026, the university will open the Faculty of Human Data Science to educate human resources about creating a society that lives side by side by utilizing data in the fields of the environment, local communities, health, and welfare that are directly related to human happiness.

 

The rector and chair of the Bunkyo Gakuin Foundation, Masakazu Shimada, expressed his commitment to providing education that is relevant to the challenges of the times.

During the visit, Rustam presented an exclusive batik cloth created by Indonesian renowned artist Guruh Soekarnoputra to Shimada as a sign of friendship and respect for Indonesia's cultural heritage.

"This batik is a unique work that only exists in the world," he said.

In response, Shimada said he will preserve and respect the intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia as part of its century-old history.

Rustam expressed the hope that the gift would be seen as a good initial symbol to strengthen cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and Indonesia.

"The Sakuranesia Foundation, which continues to actively bridge educational cooperation between Japan and Indonesia, is expected to continue to grow and contribute to the advancement of global education," he said.
 

This is the first time for the ministry to attempt such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of both contributing to the international community and expanding use of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals around Asia.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to cover tuition and living expenses for select international students from Asia studying at medical schools in Japan.

This is the first time for the ministry to attempt such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of both contributing to the international community and expanding use of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals around Asia.

The initiative is expected to start as early as fiscal 2026 and the ministry plans to accept about 20 students. The program will be conducted on a trial basis to examine its effectiveness. Applicants will be sought via the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, an international organization headquartered in Indonesia and funded by Japan.

Those selected will receive Japanese language training in their home countries and then come to Japan. They will study at university medical schools for six years, toward obtaining a doctor’s license.

The government will cover their tuition fees and all their living expenses. The ministry has earmarked \290 million for related spending in a supplementary budget for fiscal 2024.

The ministry will decide the details going forward, such as which countries will be eligible, how to seek out applicants and which universities will accept the international students. The ministry has in mind Vietnamese students who will be able to work as doctors in their home country if they meet certain criteria.

According to the ministry, tuition fees for medical schools range from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen a year and international students often face a language barrier.

While some universities have scholarships and general support programs for international students, the number of international medical students coming to Japan has been flat.

As of May last year, there were 217 international students, including short-stay students, studying at the medical schools of public and private universities across the nation, accounting for less than 1% of all medical school students in Japan, according to the Japan Student Services Organization and others.

“We would like international students to not just study medicine in Japan but also learn about the high quality of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals,” said an official at the ministry.

“If they introduce these things in their countries after returning home, it will help grow the Japanese economy.”