Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, walk along the corridors of Yumoto Junior High School, where they are the only two students, a few days before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, attend a photo session with guests for the institution's closing ceremony after their graduation, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 13, 2023. School closures are happening across Japan, with about 450 public schools closing every year, amid faster-than-expected declining births in the country, which have plunged to a new record low in 2022, according to official estimates, dropping below 800,000 for the first time, eight years earlier than the government had expected. "It is grave in a sense that the loss of schools means that the municipality itself will eventually become unsustainable. The real implication of Japan's current phenomenon of declining birth rate and ageing population is that such areas will be increasing rapidly," said Touko Shirakawa, journalist and lecturer at Sagami Women's University specializing in sociology. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Masumi Sato, 46, mother of Eita, 15, wipes her tears next to Hisako Hoshi, 68, grandmother of Aoi, 15, on the day of Eita and Aoi's graduation ceremony, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 13, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good, with some parents and villagers say that the school closure should have been avoided. "I'm worried that people won't consider this area as a place to relocate to when there is no junior high school," said Eita’s mother Masumi, who is also an alumnus of the school. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, attend their last study lesson on the day before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, who is one of the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, attends his last English lesson on the day before his graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, and their family members leave the school after their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 13, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, have their last school lunch with their teachers before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, put on serving clothes before their last school lunch a few days before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, at the school in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
The village school bus drives along an empty street in the morning, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. School closures are happening across Japan, with about 450 public schools closing every year, amid faster-than-expected declining births in the country, which have plunged to a new record low in 2022, according to official estimates, dropping below 800,000 for the first time, eight years earlier than the government had expected. "It is grave in a sense that the loss of schools means that the municipality itself will eventually become unsustainable. The real implication of Japan's current phenomenon of declining birth rate and ageing population is that such areas will be increasing rapidly," said Touko Shirakawa, journalist and lecturer at Sagami Women's University specializing in sociology. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Teacher Yumemi Kanazawa, 30, Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, attend a class a few days before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, head home on the village school bus, a few days before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Yumoto Junior High School's principal Mikio Watanabe, 54, points at old graduation photographs on the day before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. Yumoto Junior High is a public school that was established in 1947 and in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good, with some parents and villagers say that the school closure should have been avoided. "People are very disappointed that there's no longer a source of culture, and that the place will be quieter without children's voices," said Watanabe. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, and their teachers attend a celebratory class before the students' graduation and the institution's closing ceremony at the school in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Masumi Sato, 46, pins a rosette reading 'Congratulations!' on her son Eita, 15, one of the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, on the day of his graduation ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 13, 2023. Aoi Hoshi, 15, and Eita, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good, with some parents and villagers say that the school closure should have been avoided. "I'm worried that people won't consider this area as a place to relocate to when there is no junior high school," said Eita’s mother Masumi, who is also an alumnus of the school. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, take part in their last English class on the day before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan March 10, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, who are the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, serve their last school lunch for themselves and their teachers, a few days before the students' graduation and the institution's closing ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Masumi Sato, 46, and her sons Riku, 11, and Eita, 15, who is one of the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School and graduates this month, have dinner in their kitchen, at home in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. Masumi, a single mother of three and alumnus of Yumoto Junior High, runs a hot spring inn on the mountain and added that her youngest son, who is currently a fifth grader in an elementary school nearby, wanted to share the memory of attending the same school as many of his other family members did. "He told me, 'The adults made the decision one-sidedly without us,'" she said. "I'm worried that people won't consider this area as a place to relocate to when there is no junior high school." REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, keep warm next to a stove during break time between lessons, on the day before their graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 10, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, and Aoi Hoshi, 15, who are the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, attend a photo session with their Eita's mother Masumi Sato, 46, and Aoi's grandmother Hisako, 68, and father Kazuhisa, 37, after the students' graduation and the institution's closing ceremony, in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan March 13, 2023. Eita and Aoi, who have been together since three, are the last two graduates of Yumoto Junior High, a public school established in 1947 that in its prosperous years sent out more than 50 graduates, but with only a few enrolments expected in the coming years, the village decided to close the school for good. "We heard rumours about the school closure in the second year, but I didn't really think it would happen. I was shocked when I heard the news," Eita said. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Eita Sato, 15, who is one of the only two students at Yumoto Junior High School, arrives home from school, a few days before his graduation and the institution's closing ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 9, 2023. Eita's mother Masumi Sato, who is also an alumnus of Yumoto Junior High, runs a hot spring inn on the mountain and added that her youngest son, who is currently a fifth grader in an elementary school nearby, wanted to share the memory of attending the same school as many of his other family members did. "He told me, 'The adults made the decision one-sidedly without us,'" she said. "I'm worried that people won't consider this area as a place to relocate to when there is no junior high school." REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SCHOOLS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Last students graduate: School closures spread in ageing Japan
