Parents Worry About U. of Tokyo Calendar Shift

The University of Tokyo is planning to shift the start of its academic year to the fall, and the move has been greeted with approval by many higher education leaders in Japan, who expect the move to prompt similar shifts elsewhere. The idea is that Japanese universities will benefit by being on a similar academic calendar to that used in much of the Western world, and that high school graduates can enjoy a summer vacation rather than starting their programs in the spring. But The Japan Daily Press reports that many parents are objecting to the plan. Their concern: They aren't sure what they will do with their children between when they graduate high school and when they enroll at a university.