Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun Publishes Special Advertisement on April 4th, "Children's Watch Activity Day"

Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun (published by Asahi Gakusei Shimbunsha, President & CEO: Masanobu Yasuda) will publish a special advertisement on April 4th, "Children's Watch Activity Day," linking a 3-column ad on the front page with a 15-column ad on the final page. It will introduce the "7-year-old Traffic Safety Project" undertaken by Kokumin Kyosai Coop , and conduct social awareness activities aimed at preventing traffic accidents among new first-grade elementary school students. As a new attempt to tell a story across newspaper pages, it expresses the anxiety of children walking to school alone for the first time and the presence of adults watching over them in the community.

Traffic Accident Risk for New First Graders and Kokumin Kyosai Coop's Initiatives

Spring, when the new school year begins, is a time when children's living environments change significantly. As children enter elementary school, their opportunities to commute to and from school alone increase, but so does the risk of traffic accidents. According to a survey by the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, it has been reported that the number of fatalities and injuries from pedestrian traffic accidents is significantly higher for "7-year-olds," who are typically in their first year of elementary school, compared to other age groups.

Against the backdrop of this social issue, Kokumin Kyosai Coop launched the "7-year-old Traffic Safety Project" in March 2019 and has since donated over 1.94 million crossing flags (including Pit-kun and Kosuke collaboration flags) to elementary schools, children's centers, and other facilities nationwide.

Traffic Safety Education and Community Watch are Important

Children around 7 years old, who are entering elementary school, have an expanded range of activity but are also considered to be at high risk of traffic accidents. The reasons cited include: "their viewpoint is lower than adults, making it harder to notice cars," "their ability to predict danger is not yet fully developed," and "their opportunities to act alone suddenly increase."

It is also said that many traffic accidents occur on familiar roads within 500m of home, making accident prevention in daily locations such as school routes and residential streets important.

Therefore, in addition to children's own traffic safety education, initiatives to watch over children by the entire community are required.

April 4th is "Children's Watch Activity Day"

Kokumin Kyosai Coop designates April 4th, which is just before the new school year in spring, as "Children's Watch Activity Day." April 4th coincides with the period just before elementary school enrollment season and the spring traffic safety campaign, positioning it as a day to encourage society as a whole to think about children's traffic safety.

Taking this day as an opportunity, the aim is to spread understanding of "watch activities" conducted in communities and to establish a culture of society as a whole watching over children.

April 4th "Children's Watch Activity Day"

URL：https://www.zenrosai.coop/anshin/7pj/community.html

Awareness Actions to Expand Kokumin Kyosai Coop's Children's Watch Activities

●Donation of Crossing Flags

Since June 2020, an initiative has been launched to donate one crossing flag for each "My Car Kyosai" estimate. To date, over 1.94 million crossing flags (including Pit-kun and Kosuke collaboration crossing flags) have been donated to children's centers, elementary schools, and other facilities nationwide.

●Implementation & Distribution of Online Traffic Safety Classes for Elementary Schools

Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun and Kokumin Kyosai Coop jointly conducted an "Online Traffic Safety Class" for elementary school students on June 25, 2025, with 7,104 children from 75 schools nationwide participating. The class was released as an archived video from July 31, 2025. The class was taught by Mr. Akihiro Numata, known as "Numacchi-sensei" (teacher at Tokyo Gakugei University Oizumi Elementary School). It is a class where children can enjoy learning about pedestrian traffic safety through 10 quiz questions divided into difficulty levels from beginner to super advanced. Please watch it.

URL：https://www.zenrosai.coop/anshin/7pj/rule/school202506.html

＜What is the 7-year-old Traffic Safety Project?＞

Data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis shows that 7-year-olds, whose range of activity expands when they enter elementary school, have a significantly higher number of traffic accident fatalities because their viewpoint is lower than adults and their attention span is not yet fully developed. Focusing on this data, Kokumin Kyosai Coop has been working to reduce traffic accidents since January 2019 to protect children who hold the future.

Various educational contents are available to deepen understanding of traffic safety. These can be utilized for traffic safety education and awareness in various settings such as homes, communities, and schools.

"7-year-old Traffic Safety Project" Website

URL：https://www.zenrosai.coop/anshin/7pj.html

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＜Kokumin Kyosai Coop＞

Official name: National Federation of Workers' Mutual Aid Cooperatives

Born in September 1957 as a mutual aid cooperative. "Kyosai" is a system of "preparing for someone's contingency by everyone helping each other." Amidst major changes in our environment, such as the declining birthrate, aging population, and the occurrence of large-scale disasters, Kokumin Kyosai Coop continues to walk with everyone towards "creating a rich and secure society through mutual assistance" through the concept and mechanisms of "mutual aid."

◆Kokumin Kyosai Coop History of Mutual Aid: https://www.zenrosai.coop/web/ayumi/

＜Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun (Asahi Gakusei Shimbunsha)＞

Asahi Gakusei Shimbunsha is a group company of Asahi Shimbun. It was established in 1967 to publish newspapers for elementary school students. Currently, it publishes the daily newspaper "Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun" for elementary school students, the weekly newspaper "Asahi Chuko Sei Shimbun" for junior and senior high school students, and the monthly information paper "Asahi Shingaku Joho with EduA" for junior high to university entrance exams.

◆Asahi Gakusei Shimbunsha Website: https://www.asahi.com/asagakuplus/