Briefly: Students sit for nationwide tests

A total of 2.32 million students across Japan on Tuesday wrote academic achievement tests under a system revived last year out of concern about declining scholastic ability.

Some 32,500 schools held the tests, which are designed to judge the scholastic ability of sixth-graders at elementary schools and third-year students at junior high schools.

Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture was the only municipality to boycott the tests for the second straight year. The city's 14 public schools held regular classes.

The education ministry resumed the tests last year after a hiatus of 43 years.(IHT/Asahi: April 23,2008)