Adam Durham wrote:

I have gotten three conflicting sets of dates for the Japanese school year:
some people said April until March, another said September to July, and yet
another said June until April.  I'm inclined to believe April until March,
since two people gave that information and it confirms the starting date I
got from Ken Aromdee's SM FAQ, but if anyone has different information, I'd
appreciate it.

Who ever was telling you September was smoking crack at the time.  The US
school calendar is NOT followed in Japan.  PON, the US is one of the few
industrial nations of the world that use the September school starting date.