Schools Should Stress Role of Newspapers in Democracy, Says Japanese Media Group

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, February 7, 2026

The next curriculum guidelines for elementary, junior high and high schools should state the nedd to teach students the role of newspapers in a democratic society and promote the use of newspapers in schools, argued the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association in a written opinion submitted to the education, culture, sports, science and technology minister on Friday.

The guidelines, or the Courses of Study, define what is taught in each subject for elementary, junior high and high schools and serve as the basis for textbooks. The current guidelines state that schools should “promote the use of newspapers” to help students learn how to use information. The Central Council for Education, an advisory body to the education minister, is currently discussing the next Courses of Study, to be used from 2030. The association is calling for the continued use of newspapers in schools.

In its written opinion, the association mentions that it has for many years cooperated with the education community in developing Newspaper in Education activities to promote newspaper use in classes. It also included the result of a survey conducted by the association in 2024, which showed that the use of newspapers had contributed to improved reading and writing skills for students and helped improve the teaching abilities of teachers.

The association also demands that the new guidelines address the significance of journalism, arguing that newspapers play a role in monitoring public power and supporting democracy.

With the spread of generative artificial intelligence and the flood of misinformation online, the association expects newspapers to be used to help students develop the ability to make logical and rational decisions based on facts.

The written opinion is available on the association’s website.