Overview
- On Sept. 5, the Central Council for Education working group presented a draft that would treat digital textbooks as official materials subject to government inspection and free distribution.
- The draft specifies that digital content accessed via QR codes from textbooks would also fall under inspection for the first time.
- MEXT plans to create guidelines outlining how digital textbooks should be used by subject and by students’ developmental stages.
- The ministry intends to submit required legal amendments, including to the School Education Law and related statutes, to the 2026 ordinary Diet and finalize the guidelines after enactment.
- A February council summary endorsed letting local boards choose among paper, fully digital, or hybrid formats, and the ministry is aiming for introduction aligned with the 2030 Course of Study.