Mental health issues are rising for students around the world, with pressures mounting to be successful at work and earn a good living. In India, this is leading to an alarming increase in student suicides, exposing the country's severe lack of mental health provision – especially for the young.

Japanese schools tend to enforce strict rules and regulations, including those which crack down on students’ appearances. But as one teen sues her school for forcing her to dye her hair black so that she could attend classes, the usefulness of unswerving rules is being questioned.

What’s got Japanese people worried about their work-life balance? Why are more men staying at home to raise the kids? And how did Halloween become a national holiday? This Cultural Snapshot uses local stats and case studies to explore behavioural norms shared by Japanese people in 2017.

In Japan, high school can be one of the most stressful points in a young person’s life with 59% claiming the pressure is “too much”. In response to a small but growing sect of students failing to make it to class due to sickness, bullying or social anxiety, Meisei Cyber is a virtual high school teens attend with an avatar.