Kobe shifts junior high school club activities to community groups
KOBE -- Club activities at municipal junior high schools in this western Japan city were transferred to community-run clubs on Sept. 1. The move mark
Kobe, Japan -- In September, municipal junior high school club activities in this western Japanese city transitioned to community-run clubs through a program named Kobe Katsu. This marks the first complete transfer of school club activities, including weekday ones, to local community groups among Japan's major cities with ordinances.
The program now includes 1,051 groups, comprising 670 sports clubs and 381 cultural, arts, and other clubs, roughly equivalent to the previous school clubs' number. The average monthly membership fee stands at about 3,200 yen ($20), with municipal subsidies of 1,500 yen ($9) per month for eligible students. Kobeikuta Junior High School in Chuo Ward currently has 21 community clubs, with 15 junior high school students, including from two other schools, joining the Tamagocoro table tennis club.
Head instructor Okimasa Tamano, 50, explained that the club provides students with a longer, two-hour commitment to sports than school clubs, and emphasizes the presence of active athletes and experienced instructors. Seiei Tsuji, a second-year student at Eboshi Junior High School who traveled by train for the club, highlighted the club's excellent instructors and desire to improve as a player.
Under Kobe Katsu, rookie tournaments will undergo significant changes in name and organization. The tournament's name will change from "Kobe municipal junior high school tournament" to "Kobe municipal junior high school student tournament," with the organizing bodies now including the city's bureau of cultural affairs and sports, in addition to the municipal education board and Kobe junior high school athletic federation.
The tournament will cover 15 sports, held at city sports venues from September 19 to November 22, open to first- and second-year junior high school students in the city, including those from Kobe Katsu clubs recognized by the Hyogo Prefecture junior high school athletic federation and students attending member private junior high schools.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
