The city of Kobe will transfer the management of extracurricular activities in all municipal junior high schools to private clubs beginning Tuesday, marking a significant shift as local authorities work to reduce teacher overtime and address declining student participation in school teams.

This initiative, known as Kobe Katsu, aligns with a broader national strategy encouraging after-school programs to be operated by community-based private organizations, including sports teams, universities, and nonprofits. The goal is to alleviate the burden on teachers, who often dedicate overtime and weekends to supervising these activities.

By June, more than 1,000 clubs had registered with the Kobe program, enabling students to select from a wide range of activities without geographical limitations. Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto highlighted the benefits of increased interaction between students and community instructors, emphasizing the potential for promoting civic engagement and fostering intergenerational exchange. He also pointed to the demographic challenges facing the city, noting the declining number of children has made the existing system increasingly unsustainable.

“Times have changed greatly, and, in particular, considering that the number of children has greatly decreased compared to the past, it is getting difficult to continue extracurricular activities the current way,” Hisamoto said.

The Kobe Katsu program’s operational costs will be covered by the city’s annual budget, with ¥545 million (approximately $3.4 million) allocated for fiscal 2026. Additionally, a ¥1 billion fund has been established to support future expenses such as repairing sports equipment and purchasing new instruments. While some activities may require additional fees from students, the city has developed a payment system using an app that grants monthly in-app points to help offset costs. Each student receives 1,500 points per month, with low-income households eligible for 3,000 points.

The need for reform is underscored by a 2024 survey from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which found Japanese junior high school teachers worked an average of 55.1 hours weekly, far exceeding the 41-hour average among 27 OECD countries. Extracurricular supervision accounted for an average of 5.6 hours per week for teachers in Japan, compared to the OECD average of 1.7 hours. This often includes accompanying students to weekend sporting events, sometimes involving full-day commitments.

The Ministry of Education’s roadmap recommends gradually shifting the responsibility for extracurricular participation to local clubs, with full implementation targeted by the end of fiscal 2031 (March 2032). Under this framework, coaches from vetted private organizations may be assigned to schools to instruct students. Local governments will oversee the registration of these teams and coaches, ensuring compliance with safety standards set by the Sports Agency. Practice hours will be limited to no more than two hours on weekdays and three hours on weekends, with a minimum of two rest days each week.