Posts published in “Current Issues”

Gender Inequality in Japan

August 25, 2022

By Mana Kawabe

Recently, discrimination between men and women both heterosexual LGBTQ people is a problem. It is gender inequality. There are two main issues for gender inequality in Japan: women’s social roles and acceptance of LGBTQ people but reasonable solutions are possible.

First, nowadays, there are a lot of households in which partner work all over the world. Currently, “women’s success” is also the core of Japan’s growth strategy, but the number of double income couples is increasing due to the success of women, and men’s participation in household chores is also attracting attention. In Japan, usually women do housework and childcare. A lot of men think housework and childcare are women’s work. As a result, women’s burden is heavy. As a result, some people don’t want to get married because the participation rate of housework and childcare is low it puts a burden on them. In addition, since the number of double-income households increasing and the participation rate of households in housework and childcare is low, priority is given to work and there is no time to spend on childcare, so the birthrate is declining. Especially in Japan, it is not possible to balance work and housework. Linnai Company, Limited is trying to find out the domestic affairs of double income couples in the world, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Germany. As a result, it turns out that Japan tends to have less time for housework and couples than other countries, and it is not possible to balance work and housework well. In terms of work, Japan has the longest time, 9.19 hours a day. It turns out that Japan has the shortest time for couples, 1.31 hours, compared to other countries. It was also revealed that the country with the largest number of people who do not share housework

Second, people in the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) community face discrimination. Recently, such people are increasing all over the world. And it is changing to the idea that it is natural. But, after all, there are many people who cannot easily accept it. For example, there are many people in the world who are men but want to wear women’s clothes, women who are in love with women of the same sex, and people whose gender does not apply to either, but these people are not accepted in many societies, including in Japan. And Japan is behind in the system to accept LGBTQ. In Japan, there was an incident in which a male student killed himself when he was outed to be gay. Same-sex marriage is now possible in 31 countries and regions, including Europe, the Americas and Oceania and so on. There is a partnership system in Japan, but it is completely different from marriage.
These issues of inequality for women and LGBTQ individuals should be resolved.

The first issue insider double-income household and childcare. It should change work style. For example, the company’s boss should give guidance so that husband can get home on time without overtime and understanding of the workplace for men’s housework and childcare. Then, if they go home early, they will have more time to do homework and childcare. In addition, it is necessary to change men’s war of thinking. Also, it is important not to do or ask for perfect housework. Not everyone is talented at housework, and they may be fired after work. It is important to create an environment that makes it easy to do housework.

The second issue is the discrimination against LGBTQ. Japanese students should be educated about LGBTQ among elementary and junior high school students. I think it will be easier to accept if students acquire knowledge early. According to the Marriage For All Japan, the result of the questionnaires was that more than 70% of people agreed with same-sex marriage. Most importantly, recognizing same-sex marriages will allow same-sex couples to attain equality under the law and be officially acknowledged. These actions will help eliminate prejudice and discrimination in society towards sexual minorities, which comprise over five percent of the world’s population. Finally, sexual minorities will be able to maintain their personal dignity and live in a society where they feel protected.

From these things, we should stop distinguishing by gender. And Japan should have more flexible ideas and be able to assert each person’s opinions and, both in housework and in relationship pairing ideas without hesitation. Possible solutions are incorrect for others to decide what they must do and what they must do with the gender they were born from.

Students Should be Required to Wear Uniforms in School

August 25, 2022

By Aika Tatano

School uniform have been worn by many students for hundreds of years. There are schools which do not have uniform, but students should be required to wear uniform in school. School uniform has some good roles, and school uniform is Japanese traditional culture. For instance, school uniform is a symbol of the school, school uniform is economical, and school uniform can wear for a long time. In this way, it is good for students to wear the school uniform, so students should be required to wear uniform in school for these 3 reasons.

First, a school uniform is a symbol of the school. If students wear uniforms, people can notice which school students are in by looking at the uniforms. So, if they do good things or bad things, people can inform the school. For instance, if they helped people in the city, people could notice school of them by uniform, so the school’s reputation improves. On the other hand, if they steal something in the city, people could notice their school by their uniform, so the school’s reputation will be bad. Therefore, they can have a sense of responsibility as student at each school. It is important for students to grow in emotional maturity by seeing their behavior as associated with the school uniform.

Second, a school uniform is economical because students don’t need to buy a lot of clothes. If students wear plain clothes every day, they need to buy a lot of clothes. However, if they wear school uniform, they do not need to buy a new uniform many times. So, the financial burden is reduced by school uniform. Also, a school uniform is strong, so students can wear the same uniform for three years. And a school uniform can be used for a long time. For instance, if one student graduates from the school, they could hard over the uniform to younger people such as a sister, a brother, or a friend’s sister or brother. So that, it is economical to buy school uniforms.

Thirdly, school uniform is a Japanese tradition, so students wear school uniform for a long time. Male students wear school uniforms and female students wear sailor suits. Their designs different slightly from school to school. So, it is a feature of the school. Also, some students decide on a school based on their uniform design. In this way, there are students who enjoy school uniform. In addition to, school uniform was born for the students to wear equal garments. This tradition should be cherished for future students. In this way, school uniform’s tradition has a lot of meaning for students.

The examples above are only a small sample that students should be required to wear uniform in school. School uniform has a lot of good roles such as it is economical, and encourages good better so students should be required to wear uniform in school. However, not all schools will adopt uniforms in the future. It is important for students to know about charm of school uniform. Then, the school uniform system will become more widespread, and more schools will adopt school uniforms. For these reasons, students should be required to wear uniform in school in the future.

Abacus for After School Activity

August 24, 2022

By Kiho Shimokariya

Today, many children do after school activities. Doing after school activities to learn what they don’t learn at school can help enrich children’s future lives. Of course, time spent in childhood is very short and precious. Therefore, parents need to carefully choose effective after school activities for their children to take. In many activities, we should let our children learn abacus. Some may think that learning abacus is outdated in this age of IT. Learning abacus not only helps them to calculate, but also to develop many other skills. Learning abacus not only improves their ability to calculate, but also to develop many other skills. It’s very important for improving academic skills, social skills, and a quality of life. There are some reasons why leaning abacus is important, including academic and social development and improving a quality of life.

Learning abacus can improve academic performance. The abacus has a time limit. Students concentrate on looking at small numbers, decimal points, and commas, and make instantaneous decisions. They also concentrate on listening to the teacher’s voice so as not to miss anything. Concentration is required because if you do not concentrate on your fingertips, you will touch the beads that you should not touch. This helps to improve ability to concentrate. The concentration skills acquired through abacus will enable our children to focus on their classes at school, and once they understand the content of the class, they will naturally enjoy studying and improve their academic skills.

Also, children can improve social skills through learning abacus for after school activity. There are many students who attend abacus classes. There are many opportunities to interact with students who are not in the same grade who you would not normally have the chance to interact with. Children become friends by teaching each other, and they also become good rivals through examinations. They will also be able to pay attention to their surroundings, because if they move not quietly, someone’s abacus board will disturbed, and if they speak or make noise during the reading arithmetic, they will not be able to hear the teacher’s voice reading out loud and will interrupt the practice. By acquiring the skills necessary to interact with others in these ways, social skills can be enhanced.

The development of concentration and social skills through learning abacus for after school activities can greatly improve the quality of children’s future lives. Life can be greatly enriched by having a hobby that we enjoy. Especially if we want to enjoy a good life in your old age, we need to have a hobby that we can get into. There is reading, playing a musical instrument, cooking, and so on, all of which require concentration or can be improved by concentration. Hobbies that involve cooperation between several people needs communication skills a lot. Social skills also allow us to interact with others through our hobbies.

Some parents may say that there is no need to learn abacus since calculators and computers do the calculations nowadays. However, as mentioned above, learning abacus has many other benefits besides improving calculation skills. They are essential to our lives and provide a satisfying effect.
In conclusion, there are many benefits of learning abacus for after school activity. Learning abacus helps improve academic skills, social skills, and a quality of life. Parents should let children to learn abacus for after school activity.

Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education

August 24, 2022

By Nagi Yakushiji

“I started this sport since I was three years old” said Ai Fukuhara, a famous female table tennis player in Japan. Under the influence of her older brother, she started taking special table tennis education. She was really loved all of the Japan as Nakimushi-Aichan(crybaby Ai) and she is also a successful example of early childhood education. In this way, when parents let their children start something early, it could expect several merits, including three aspects of specialty, social skills and future.

First, the children can get specialty skills. There are main three kinds of early education programs: music, sports and language. The earlier children start these activities, the faster to improve their skills. This is caused by the level of brain development. All children’s brain is not developed completely so they can master everything faster than adult. As a result, they would become good at doing the activity. The case of Ai Fukuhara, she started table tennis from her childhood and after twenty years she has taken the silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

Second, early childhood education can improve their social skills. Children usually tend to communicate with only family and close-age friends, and they tend to spend most time in same place like home. Early education program gives children the opportunity to meet a lot of people like teacher, senior friends, they can meet even foreign people and to go many kinds of place. These experiences cannot gain only staying at home. Through the relationship with others, the children’s social skill must improve rapidly and it is expected to eliminate prejudice.

Third, early childhood education is useful to the children’s future. Of course, they can play an active role in the field directly, but also the experiences can give good influence on their life indirectly. In the process of early education, the children sometime face any problems like slump and then they would try to solve these problems somehow. This experience helps to improve their problem-solving ability and the power of perseverance. In addition, they can get confidence if the problem is better by themselves. The children who get these acquires tend to study well at school and manage relationship smoothly. Thus, early education is linked to better future.

Nonetheless, some people disagree early childhood education because they think the parents are able to give too pressure to their children. When parents let their children start the education, they spend a lot of money and time for children. Then they tend to desire seriously their children to be good at it. Sometimes it causes excessive education and parents give mental distress or harmful effect for children’s life. However, I am sure there are only countless huge benefits if parents can avoid these problems and practice correct education. For that, parents have to respect children’s self-initiative and value whether children have fun or not.

In conclusion, there are many well-influence points of early childhood education. Good education program let improve skills of special and social and lead very successful life. The children can get large advantage in their life through the program. Thus, I think all parents should practice early education for their children.

Negative Effects of SNS’s on Young Peoples’ Mental Health

Negative Effects of SNS’s on Young Peoples’ Mental Health

August 24, 2022

By Nao Yasutake

Today, SNS’s is an indispensable existence for young people. They look at their phones many times during a day. The connection with others on SNS is a very important thing for young generation. However, using SNS’s bring not only positive influences but also negative influences. There are many negative effects of SNS’s on young peoples’ mental health.

It affects to fall of young peoples’ self-esteem that checking other’s posts on Instagram or Facebook. Because you compare with your life and their life by doing so. Usually, people post on SNS’s only good things. For example, luxurious meals, trips, presents which received from someone. But people may feel that’s the whole of their lives that they posted. Therefore, you feel your life is not a satisfactory one than other’s life. Also, it is not good to compare the number of your followers with the number of other’s followers. It is not true that people who have a lot of followers are loved by many people. Decline of self-esteem sometimes cause mental illness like depression. So, you need to be careful.

Watching YouTube and checking other’s posts bring you a sense of being ineffective. Have you ever spent your day off to watch YouTube or check other’s posts? How did you feel at end of that day? Many people feel that they wasted their own time after used SNS’s a lot. Consequently, it makes your day non-productive, and that gives a bad influence to peoples’ mental health. There are cases that you can’t do things which you have to do like homework or housework by using SNS’s too much. Smartphone addiction is one of a problem of mental health. Today, a lot of young people have the problem.

Lastly, the most serious negative effect of SNS’s is negative emotions that can’t be controlled. Especially, lack of sleep by using SNS’s until late at night bring you negative emotions. For example, you get annoyed easily for your parent’s words if you don’t have enough time to sleep. The negative emotions can’t be controlled by yourself. In addition, you can’t get up in the morning if you use SNS’s until late at last night. The habit is very dangerous because your life might become day and night are reversed. It is one of a reason of social withdrawal and it is very difficult to change the habit soon.

To summarize, there are many bad influences of mental health who use SNS’s a lot. Using SNS’s brings some negative effects to people which fall of their self-esteem, waste their own time, and negative emotions that can’t be controlled. These are influences to young peoples’ mental health. Connections with others are important, but it is more important to protect your mental health from bad effects. You should learn good ways of using SNS’s for keep your mental health in a good condition.

Justification for Rating in Art Subjects

Justification for Rating in Art Subjects

August 24, 2022

By Riko Yamamoto

“I am not good at drawing” Some people say that in art subjects. And some people say that teachers should not rate works made by students. Unlike English lessons that we must remember a lot of vocabulary and math lessons that require comprehension, art lessons are very easy because it is a class that relies on our sensibility. Students tend to think that in art classes, they emphasize the skill of drawing and the presence or absence of originality. Thereby some people say that individual’s artistic concept should not be evaluated by others, and that some people are no good at drawing, so it should not be evaluated in art classes. So why is it still being evaluated in art classes? This time I introduce 3 reasons why teachers should give an evaluation in art classes, completeness of the work, knowledge of art, and beauty perspectives.

Giving an evaluation in the art class can improve the perfection of the work that students make. If they are not good at drawing or they who don’t like drawing, they will not try to draw properly when it comes to not evaluated. In a lesson where the students are lazy, there is no reason in giving the lesson. In such a class, students who are not good at drawing and dislike drawing will remain as they are. It is important to give an evaluation in terms of motivating students.

Art classes can be evaluated not only by the works made by the students, but also by the knowledge test. These knowledges are the knowledge about history in art. In other words, by giving an evaluation of art, we can be willing to gain historical knowledge about art. Drawing and making works may have few useful moments in our life, but I think that gaining knowledges about the history of art will bring depth to our future life. When we have to go to a museum for some reason, it is many times more interesting to look at a painting with a historical background than to look at a painting that you don’t understand.

The criteria for art classes are also whether we understand the perspective of beauty, and if we understand them well, the evaluation will be good. For example, being able to understand the properties of shapes, colors, materials, light, and the effects they have on emotions is useful even after graduating from school and becoming a member of society. (About learning evaluation) Evaluations should be made in art classes that encourage people to learn about such emotionally influential beauty perspectives.

Some students say that in art classes, individuality should be valued and teachers should not rate it. Certainly, it is not nice to be given a bad rating for our work. However, in art classes, the degree of perfection of a work is not the only evaluation. As mentioned above, it is also evaluated by the degree of understanding such as historical background and beauty perspectives. Of course, it is evaluated by the degree of perfection of the work, but if we are not good at making it, we can supplement the evaluation by the result of the knowledge test. Isn’t it easier to get a better evaluation than other subjects because I can be evaluated and supplemented from various points of view?

In conclusion, there are many advantages to evaluate in an art class. Art classes have different evaluation perspectives then other classes. Whether it works good or bad depends on the person. However, the ability to create works, the understanding of the history of art, and the perspective of beauty that are cultivated in art classes are very important in future life, and I think that they will be acquired more by being evaluated.

Effects of Keeping a Pet on Family

Effects of Keeping a Pet on Family

August 24, 2022

By Tomoka Izumi

Do you know the positive effects of keeping a pet? Especially good if you have a family pet. Some families may think it is difficult to take care of a pet if they have one. And some families may think that having a pet won’t change anything. But There are many effects of keeping a pet in the family.

The first positive effect is that families heal when they have pets. Family includes both adults and children. And each may have their own stresses at school or work. However, having a pet in the family may reduce that stress. Pets heal us just by looking at them. And interaction with pets has a positive effect.

The second positive effect is that pets become playmates for children. I think pets make good child playmates in families with children. I think it’s a good idea to have a pet, especially if you have an only child in the family. Children who are only children may feel lonely because there are no children their own age at home. I am sure the family would be happy to have a playmate for such a child. And since the pet grows up with the child, the child will feel like he or she has a real sibling.

The third positive effect is that it brings us closer together than we would ever be as a family. When you have a pet, the whole family must take care of it. Families need to make sure their pets are fed properly, and they need to take care of their toilets. Also, pets sometimes need to be bathed and taken to the hospital. If a family gets a dog, they need to take it for a walk. Those are hard work, and the family needs to work together. I think doing something together as a family brings families closer together. And the whole family gathers around the pet. When petting or playing with pets, I think it brings the family closer to each other. I think that would naturally bring the family closer together. I also got closer to my parents when I got a cat. I used to have trouble knowing what to talk about with my parents, but now we always talk about a cat.

To summarize, if a family has a pet, there are a lot of positive effects. Would you like to keep a pet for your family?