On March 18th, a primary school graduation ceremony was held at Yoshirikiri Academy, a unified elementary and middle school in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, where a giant diploma measuring 2.4 meters tall and 3.4 meters wide was presented for students to take commemorative photos. Thirteen shocked sixth graders, upon discovering the enormous graduation gift upon arriving at school, celebrated together with family, friends, and alumni after the ceremony, capturing joyful moments in photos.

The idea was put forward by the Young Chamber of Commerce of Ōtsuchi, led by Atsushi Tanaka, as a thoughtful gesture since the other unified school, Ōtsuchi Academy, does not hold a graduation ceremony for its sixth graders. Understanding the sentiment of the sixth graders missing out on a traditional graduation, a group of volunteers pooled their resources to create and offer this giant diploma, thus giving the students an opportunity for memorable photographs as a keepsake.

Yoshirikiri Academy has separate buildings for the elementary and middle school divisions, but there is a plan to unify them within the next two years, which might eliminate formal graduation ceremonies in the future. Principal Toshirou Fujii expressed gratitude, noting that this event added a special touch to the students' advancement to the next grade.