Shigakukan High School, is located in Japan’s 4th largest city, Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. Aichi, situated on the pacific coast of central Honshu, is home to many global industries such as Toyota, Noritake, and Brother.
Shigakukan High School is managed by Shigakkan University, along with a Junior College and Kindergarten. Originally Chukyo Sewing Girls School was established in 1905, before changing its name to Chukyo Women’s University High School in 1948. Our new name Shigakukan commemorated a fresh start as a coeducational High School in 2005.
We presently have over 1500 students supported by more than 100 faculty members, and over 30,000 graduates since our founding.
The cherry blossoms bloomed early this year, and I was concerned they might not last. However, as if by some annual miracle, they seemed to wait for our entrance ceremony before falling. Welcoming 541 new students in 2026(Reiwa 8),
Shigakukan High School has officially begun its new journey.
As the new academic year commences, everything is in motion. We see “the present moment" unfolding in our classrooms, committee activities, school events, and club activities. Students and parents alike are embarking on their own "new beginnings" within their classes, clubs, and PTA activities.
In the midst of this, a news report caught my attention: the French National Assembly passed a bill with a majority vote to implement a total ban on social media use for children under the age of 15. You may have already heard about this, as it has been widely reported by various media outlets. The stated purpose is to protect children from the negative impacts that social media can have on their mental and physical health - such as addiction, bullying, and exposure to violent content. French President Macron emphasized that "children's brains are not for sale." Furthermore, there are plans to ban smartphone use in high schools starting this September.
I anticipate that this trend will spread to the EU and the rest of the world, and that a similar wave of regulation will eventually reach Japan. Moreover, I believe that time may not be far off.
The significance of this movement is not about restricting smartphones for the sake of restriction; it is about regulating them to protect the mental and physical health of our youth. In education, disciplinary guidance does not exist simply to make students follow school rules; rather, education and guidance exist to cultivate character and resilience.
This decision in France will likely face considerable opposition. However, it made me feel a firm resolve: that to protect what is truly precious, we must sometimes be prepared to let go of other things.
Many events will surely unfold in the coming year. For the future of our students and faculty at Shigakukan High School, I am committed to thinking deeply and taking those important steps forward together with everyone. Under the blue sky of April, I have renewed my determination for this new school year.
Wataru Okugawa
Principal
| office@shigakukan-h.ed.jp | |
| Phone | (81) 52-723-0851 |
| Fax | (81) 52-723-1744 |
| Address | 2-1-10 Daiko Minami, Higashi-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, JAPAN 461-0047 |