Some local education boards are considering having high school students notify their schools when participating in political activities outside school such as street protests and rallies, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released a letter of notice to education boards across the country in October this year, granting permission for high school students to participate in political activities outside school after the Diet lowered the voting age from 20 to 18. High school students in Japan had been effectively banned from taking part in such activities inside or outside school as a result of the student movement in the 1960s.

The Mainichi Shimbun asked education boards of 47 prefectures and 20 government-designated major cities whether a system should be introduced in which high school students notify their schools of their participation in political activities in advance or after they take part. As a result, the prefectural education boards of Miyagi, Ibaraki, Toyama, Fukui, Aichi and Mie, as well as Sendai, Yokohama and Kobe municipal boards of education said they were "considering" introducing such a system.

An official from the Aichi Prefectural Education Board revealed that the school is struggling to decide how to deal with the issue.

"We are not sure if it's OK for schools to not know about students taking part in demonstrations in case such students face physical danger. There are opinions that the notification rule is necessary in terms of ensuring students' safety, but at the same time there are people saying that such a system would be problematic considering the freedom of one's thoughts and beliefs," the Aichi official said.

A Miyagi Prefectural Education Board official noted that in principle students are free to participate in political activities outside school under the supervision of their guardians. "However, the education ministry's letter states that students' participation in political activities should be restricted or banned within the range of rationality and necessity if such participation could interfere with students' studies and daily lives. We are trying to maintain a balance between students' freedom and the ministry's guidelines," commented the official.

Meanwhile, 10 prefectural education boards, including those in Hokkaido, Akita and Kumamoto, as well as the Sapporo Municipal Board of Education said they will leave the matter to the judgment of each school principal while not creating an across-the-board rule.

An official from the Akita Prefectural Education Board says many schools already ask students to submit notices of assembly when they gather for band events and other activities. The schools will likely adapt the use of such existing rules for political activities.

An official from one of the prefectures that has yet to decide what to do with students' involvement in political activities said, "It's difficult to judge whether to introduce a system where students notify their schools about their participation in political events as it might violate individuals' right to vote and freedom of thought. To tell the truth, I want the central government to set a uniformed rule if possible."