"My son, too, seemed comfortable with the idea and he agreed to go to juku cram schools, " she say.

CNN: On The Frontline

The need to study at cram schools in the evening, the tendency for students to unwind at 24-hour convenience stores on their way home and the lure of computer games at home means the trend is likely to worsen.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

The stretch of road near Harajuku station has been a mecca for youngsters dressing up in 1960s rocker garb and, for a few brief hours each week, pretending that life is not just cram schools, exams and dreary journeys to and from soulless suburbs.

ECONOMIST: When Elvis died in Harajuku | The

Investment takes many forms, not just formal education, but buying a house in a neighborhood with the best schools, paying for informal and extra-curricular tutoring, classes, cram-schools, camps, foreign travel, etc.

FORBES: Demographic Decline and Investment Intensity in Children -- Observations on China and Japan

They cram the school day into the morning and early afternoon, and close their schools for three months in the summer.

ECONOMIST: Children are exceptions to the country��s work ethic

There is therefore a considerable risk that schools will pay lip service to the new reforms while continuing to cram students in the time-honoured fashion.

ECONOMIST: China