In February 2026, Shūeisha Online reported on elementary school tests that had drawn anger on social media. On a Japanese test, a pupil had matched three characters correctly with the games they wanted, but lost one point for each line, with the red-pen note “use a ruler.” On a science test, the answer “It lights up” lost points because it had no full stop.
An elementary school teacher in the Kanto region, in their thirties, explained the practice: “If something we mention in ordinary lessons is not done, we mark it with a triangle and a deduction, or with a cross.” The tests also teach the basics of working life: “Write carefully what others will look at, and use what you have learned.”