More than 2 years have passed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus has not yet been brought under control. Under these circumstances, the government has promoted initiatives to balance socio-economic activities with preventing the spread of infection. Specifically, the promotion of education, science and technology innovation, sports, culture and art undertaken by MEXT is at the core of the initiatives that will pave the way for the future of Japan, and these initiatives must continue to be implemented even during the coronavirus pandemic.
With this determination, MEXT has been taking the following measures to ensure that children can realize their dreams by guaranteeing that they can learn in a safe environment and accelerate research and development at the same time that will contribute to measures against the new coronavirus and future infectious diseases, provide support to researchers, and support sports, cultural and artistic activities that have been tremendously affected.

1 Education-related responses

（１）Measures to prevent infectious diseases in schools and safeguarding the learning of children and students

On February 28, 2020, MEXT requested school administrators to implement temporary closure of schools, and many schools took measures to close temporarily. The temporary school closure measures provided an opportunity to highlight once again the importance of schools to children and their families and to reaffirm the role of schools not only as a guarantee of learning opportunities and academic achievement but also as a guarantee of holistic development and growth, a place where children can safely and securely interact with others, and a safety net that guarantees their physical and mental health in terms of welfare aspects. In light of this, MEXT implemented various measures to ensure children’s healthy learning to the maximum extent possible while implementing thorough measures against infectious diseases.
For example, from the perspective of school hygiene management, to contribute to the efforts to reduce the infection risk of children and students, MEXT created the “COVID-19 Infection Control Manuals and Guidelines for Schools” in May 2020, which has been revised and disseminated from time to time based on the latest knowledge. In June of the same year, MEXT prepared the “Guidelines for Continuous School Operation in Response to COVID-19”, and in FY2021, timely and appropriate information was provided to boards of education based on the knowledge of mutant strains and the infection situation; guidelines were created and standards for temporary school closures were also provided.
Furthermore, it is important to ensure that there is no significant delay in learning when children and students are unable to attend school for a certain period by letting them take ICT devices home and securing means to connect their homes with the school so that communication with students is maintained and learning goes on without interruption. For this reason, MEXT has shared points to consider when providing learning guidance using ICT devices, examples of local governments, and increased support for Internet expenses to households facing economic challenges.
Since teachers and other staff members are essential for the continuation of school business, ensuring the continuity of learning for students, and maintaining social functions in the community, in response to the Prime Minister’s instructions in February 2022, MEXT requested all boards of education, etc., to collaborate with local health departments, etc. to provide COVID-19 booster shots (booster dose) to teachers and other personnel.
Furthermore, as students have been facing various stresses and challenges due to the long-term effects of COVID-19, it is necessary to take firm measures to deal with the impact of the pandemic on students’ psychology and their home environment. To improve mental care and welfare support for students, MEXT is assisting in the assignment of school counselors and school social workers and is demonstrating to schools how to give due consideration to the mental care of students, such as by providing students with support via yogo teachers and school counselors, etc., and by informing students of consultation services such as a 24-hour child SOS hotline.
In March 2022, MEXT revised the instructional materials providing education on the prevention of infectious diseases in schools for elementary, junior high, and high school teachers based on new knowledge, including information on preventing infectious diseases, collecting correct information, discrimination and prejudice, and new lifestyles. MEXT requested schools to take into consideration the educational significance and sentiments of students toward school trips, take appropriate measures to prevent infection and give due consideration to making appropriate changes or improvements to implementing the measures.
To ensure that students could take the high school entrance examinations with peace of mind in light of the impact of COVID-19, MEXT requested the prefectural boards of education, which conduct the examinations, to consider measures to ensure that students were not disadvantaged due to the lack of learning assessments and records of various activities in school reports. In addition, MEXT asked that examiners take measures against infectious diseases at exam sites and ensure that students could sit for the examinations by conducting additional inspections. The examinations were successfully conducted with the implementation of these measures.
In addition to the dissemination of necessary information, in March 2021, the Act on Standards for Class Formation and Fixed Number of School Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools was revised to lower the class formation standard for public elementary schools to 35 students to establish a safe and secure educational environment and instruction systems that enables meticulous guidance tailored to individual student needs.

To implement measures against infectious diseases and improve educational activities at schools, in addition to the dissemination of necessary information, MEXT has also implemented necessary budgetary measures to provide personnel support such as teachers’ work support staff, material support such as maintenance of sanitation supplies like disinfectant solution, and improve the hygienic environment such as renovation of air conditioners and restrooms. Furthermore, the start of the “GIGA School Vision” was brought forward significantly to April 2021, enabling a “1 device for 1 student” environment. MEXT will continue to provide necessary advice and support to schools that are implementing measures to prevent infectious diseases so that children can lead a school life with peace of mind.

（２）Response at universities, etc.

１）Securing learning opportunities for students

The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection has led to a significant increase in the number of online classes at universities and colleges of technology (KOSEN) (hereafter referred to as “Universities, etc.”). Since online classes have the advantage of not being restricted by time or place, MEXT has been implementing measures such as supporting the realization of educational methods using digital technology and environmental improvements to disseminate the results. Furthermore, in terms of the system, in response to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, MEXT has taken special measures to consider remote classes, which are conducted when conducting face-to-face classes is difficult, as face-to-face classes and clarifying and disseminating the handling of cases where part of face-to-face classes are conducted remotely.
On the other hand, human interaction between students and between students and faculty and staff is also an important element for education at Universities, etc. MEXT urged Universities, etc., to actively consider providing opportunities for in-person classes after taking sufficient measures to prevent the spread of infection rather than holding all classes online, and also disseminated examples of excellent initiatives undertaken by Universities, etc.
MEXT will continue to request Universities, etc., to carefully consider the position of each student and provide support to ensure that students are given sufficient learning opportunities.

Students using smoke to check airflow and the role of partitions
(Photo courtesy of Aichi Prefectural University)

２）Support for students affected by the novel coronavirus infection

In response to students who have been financially affected by COVID-19, MEXT compiled a list of support measures that can be utilized by students with financial difficulties and is continuing to provide support to students in need^*1. Specifically, in addition to the steady implementation of the new higher education study support system that was begun in April 2020, MEXT is engaged in supporting students as the need arises through new systems and scholarship loans for students who have been hit with a sudden decrease in household income. In FY2021, MEXT provided 100,000 yen in cash to students greatly affected by COVID-19 under the “Student Emergency Aid for Continuance of Studies”. Since students are likely to have various anxieties due to the impact of COVID-19, MEXT requested all Universities, etc., to provide a detailed response to the concerns and anxieties of students, such as establishing a consultation system or collaborating with specialists. Through these initiatives, MEXT will continue to support students and ensure that students are not forced to give up pursuing higher education or learning due to the impact of COVID-19.

３）Conducting university entrance examinations

For the 2022 selection of university entrants, MEXT implemented various measures in advance to ensure that candidates could take the examinations with peace of mind. First, the “Guidelines for the Selection of University Entrants 2022,” which were formulated in June 2021, stated that supplementary examinations for the Common Test for University Admissions would be held on January 29 and 30, two weeks after the main examinations (January 15 and 16), and just as the main examinations, examination centers would be set up in 47 prefectures across Japan to ensure students had every opportunity to take the exams. Next, MEXT requested all universities to conduct online interviews as part of the Comprehensive Selection and School Recommendation Selection and to implement measures such as conducting supplementary examinations or rescheduling the Individual Achievement Test to a different date. Over 90% of national, public and private universities implemented these measures. To ensure that not a single candidate lost the opportunity to sit for examinations even as the Omicron variant was spreading, MEXT requested all universities to determine the pass/fail status of students who were unable to sit for the Common Test for University Admissions through individual entrance examinations and to conduct supplementary examinations for individual entrance examinations again.
With the cooperation of infectious disease experts, the “Guidelines for Entrance Examinations for the Selection of University Entrants in Response to COVID-19 2022” for students who were high-risk contacts of patients infected with the Omicron strain were revised. In addition to allowing such students to sit for the examinations, MEXT, in cooperation with MLIT, allowed students to utilize taxis that had implemented appropriate infection prevention measures, ensuring every opportunity for relevant students to take the exams. Universities were requested to implement thorough infection prevention measures based on these Guidelines, and the National Center for University Entrance Examinations conducted the Common Test for University Admissions after taking appropriate measures to prevent the spread of infection.
Based on how the 2022 entrance examinations were implemented, MEXT will continue to cooperate with relevant high school and university officials to prepare for the 2023 selection of university entrants so that students can sit for the examinations with peace of mind.

４）Support for international students

MEXT is making efforts to disseminate necessary information to Japanese students studying overseas, including warnings on infectious disease risk levels, etc., and is also providing financial support.
For example, unlike in the past, scholarships for overseas study are now more flexible, so that even if a student is placed on Level 2 or higher for infectious disease risk while studying abroad, the student may be eligible to receive support after verifying their circumstances in the destination country, if they so wish. Additionally, in light of the requirement for persons entering Japan to stay in a hotel for health observation for 14 days due to the tightening of border measures, MEXT worked with the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) in assisting to reduce the financial burden on Japanese students upon their return to Japan.
In addition to financial support for international students studying in Japan, such as the inclusion of international students to receive Student Emergency Aid for Continuance of Studies, MEXT provided various types of support, including flexible measures such as allowing international students who had difficulty returning to their home countries to change their status of residence to one that allowed them to work in Japan and requesting Universities, etc. to broadly inform students and graduates about the various support systems available to them.

５）Vaccination at universities

To reduce the burden on local communities and accelerate the vaccination process, MEXT has been promoting “vaccination at universities,” in which Universities, etc., play a central role in providing COVID-19 vaccinations not only to their teachers, other staff members, and students but also to educators, students and residents living nearby.
A total of 760 universities conducted vaccination drives for the first and second vaccinations, including 364 universities that served as vaccination centers and those that collaborated with these universities to provide vaccinations. From February 2022, universities also began offering COVID-19 booster shots. Furthermore, to efficiently accelerate the vaccination of students at universities and professional training colleges, in FY2022, MEXT assisted with group vaccination expenses at large-scale vaccination centers in collaboration with local governments, Universities, etc.
 

 （３）Measures concerning overseas educational facilities

Due to the global spread of COVID-19 in FY2020, students were not allowed to attend school at overseas educational facilities as instructed by the local authorities, which had a significant impact on education. However, in FY2021, most overseas educational facilities were able to provide regular or online classes.
MEXT dispatches teachers to Japanese schools and supplementary education schools. New teachers are dispatched sequentially from countries and regions that are considered safe and secure to travel to, such as countries where local epidemic prevention and healthcare systems have been established due to the impact of COVID-19. In FY2020, most new teachers to be dispatched overseas were on standby in Japan at the beginning of April, but in FY2021, more than 90% of teachers had been dispatched by April, and almost all had been dispatched out by June.
In FY2020, MEXT established a basic allowance for teachers to be dispatched overseas and who were on standby in Japan for work related to overseas educational facilities. In addition, to ensure that students at overseas educational facilities did not stop learning due to the impact of COVID-19, MEXT provided 1 device for 1 student and teacher at Japanese schools, set up ICT equipment and provided measures to prevent infectious diseases, and will continue to strengthen the educational system to ensure uninterrupted learning even in times of emergency.

2 Science and technology-related response

Amid the unprecedented COVID-19 global pandemic, MEXT, in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies, helped accelerate R&D through enhancement of support by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), with the aim of quickly establishing technologies that would serve as the basis of therapeutic agents, vaccines, and rapid diagnostic methods. In addition, MEXT has been urgently engaged in R&D of droplet dispersal and ventilation simulations through advanced utilization of the supercomputer “Fugaku”. Through such R&D, MEXT has accumulated and shared knowledge on the novel coronavirus and has achieved impressive results, such as the practical application of rapid diagnostic equipment.
Concerning support for researchers affected by COVID-19, MEXT has supported activities at research sites by flexibly responding to extension of deadlines and changes in plans for various procedures under the competitive research funding system, eliminating stagnation in research activities by promoting the use of remote and smart research facilities, and promptly implementing ministerial verification procedures for genetic modification experiments concerning the novel coronavirus.
MEXT will continue to promote R&D on COVID-19. To control and learn to co-exist with infectious diseases that may occur in the future, MEXT will also actively promote basic and academic research from a medium- to long-term perspective, promote research at overseas research centers for infectious diseases, strengthen monitoring systems, promote interdisciplinary research, and improve research infrastructure, including the formation of a world-class R&D center for vaccine development.

the supercomputer “Fugaku”

3 Sports-related responses

The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced the voluntary suspension of various sports activities, including training activities for top athletes, professional sports tournaments, school club activity competitions, and community sports activities that witness large participation by the public. To overcome this situation, the Japan Sports Agency and other sports-related organizations continued their efforts to encourage people and society to return to normalcy, including implementing measures against infectious diseases. As a result of these efforts, Japan could host the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games(hereafter referred to as the “Tokyo 2020 Games”), and sports activities have resumed, albeit with certain restrictions, while opportunities where the value of sports can be demonstrated are gradually being regained. Even as society undergoes major changes due to the impact of COVID-19, it is important to further sports policies so that the public and society can enjoy the value of sports under new social and lifestyle patterns.
Specifically, MEXT has allocated the necessary budget to ensure that top athletes can concentrate on their training activities with peace of mind while taking thorough measures to prevent infectious diseases, and as part of its efforts to improve Japan’s international competitiveness, is also researching various support methods that utilize digital technologies to ensure that training activities can continue even under the impact of infectious diseases.
In terms of the public’s participation in sports, taking advantage of the sports momentum generated by the Tokyo 2020 Games and with the cooperation of sports-related organizations and athletes, MEXT disseminated videos introducing physical activities, sports and competitions that can be easily performed in nearby places, as well as videos introducing exercises that can be performed anywhere, and leaflets with information on exercises and sports by target groups.
Furthermore, MEXT provided full support for initiatives to balance both infection prevention and sports activities by utilizing the supplementary budget to subsidize the cost of infection prevention measures for nationwide sporting events, providing advice on guidelines for infection prevention measures prepared by various sports organizations, and establishing a “consultation desk to support nationwide sporting events for children safely and securely”.
As for quarantine measures, while entry to Japan from all countries was temporarily prohibited in principle, MEXT made efforts to ensure that high-quality sports competitions could be held, including examination of public interest and urgency and providing support to athletes and officials entering the country.
In addition to these initiatives, MEXT will continue to protect the legacy of sports through all possible means and support the resumption, continuation, and development of sports activities.
 

4 Culture and art-related response

Cultural and artistic activities were one of the fields greatly affected by COVID-19, including in FY2021 when there was an outbreak of the new Omicron strain. The current situation surrounding cultural and artistic activities remains challenging. Precisely because we are facing such a national crisis, we need the power of culture and art to comfort and encourage people. The Agency for Cultural Affairs provided a wide range of support to persons involved in culture and the arts to revive and sustain the development of culture and the arts that suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In FY2021, 90.5 billion yen was set aside for the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the largest ever amount in a single supplementary budget, which included support for cultural/arts organizations to actively hold performances after thoroughly implementing infection prevention measures and support for measures to prevent infectious diseases at cultural facilities. To ensure that children had opportunities to experience culture and the arts, MEXT provided opportunities for children to appreciate and experience culture and the arts at theaters, music halls, local classrooms, and schools. MEXT is also engaged in new initiatives in line with the times, such as supporting Japanese language education for international students who could not enter Japan due to COVID-19 and providing support for passing on traditional events unique to a region.
In addition to providing support to business organizations for the formulation of guidelines to prevent the spread of infection, MEXT offered opportunities for workplace vaccination at national cultural facilities to persons involved in culture and the arts, many of whom are freelancers or small organizations that had difficulty securing workplace vaccination opportunities. MEXT will continue to work through all means to resume, continue, and develop cultural and artistic activities.

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