Students flash maskless smiles at graduation ceremony

OSAKA--For the first time in their high school lives--and on the very last day--students here stopped wearing virus-prevention face masks at school.

The central government had said students could attend their graduation ceremonies without the face-coverings.

About 80 percent of the 277 students of the class of 2023 were maskless during the graduation ceremony at the Osaka Prefectural Shimizudani High School here on Feb. 28.

“It was a new experience because it felt like I was seeing new faces when my classmates took off their masks,” said graduating student Sakurako Konishi, 18.

Head teacher Ken Hikasa was also pleased to see the full faces of students.

“Some students received their diplomas with a big smile,” Hikasa said. “It’s really nice to see a smiling face with nothing covering it.”

The graduating students started high school in spring 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic had spread.

Three years later, following education ministry guidelines, the school’s administrators recommended that students and parents participate in the graduation ceremony without face coverings, except when singing.

Those who wanted to wear masks were free to do so, however.

Many other schools around Japan adopted similar mask policies ahead of the graduation ceremony season.

Other high schools in Osaka, Shizuoka and Hyogo prefectures held their ceremonies on Feb. 28.

Although new COVID-19 cases are declining nationwide, most people in Japan still wear masks indoors and outdoors.

Many mask-wearers have cited peer pressure as the reason for continuing to cover their faces.