Overview
- Applications totaled 496,237, up 1,066 from a year earlier for a second consecutive rise.
- Day-one exams in geography/history, civics, Japanese and foreign languages were held across 650 sites.
- Tasks emphasized analyzing multiple sources and linking information under the new curriculum's second year.
- Materials included The Rose of Versailles and a Japanese picture book, which Kawai Juku said is a first for the subject since 1990, pointing to broader topic diversity cited by Sundai/Benesse.
- Disruptions led to delays at four venues affecting 34 examinees, with a 25-minute postponement at Sapporo Kita High School and a retest arranged for one candidate after staff error.