NEWS

Everyone, are you concerned about your children's educational environment in your life in Japan?

It is said that as of May 2021, about 10,000 foreign children living in Japan may not be attending school. The reality surrounding the education of foreign children and the need to create a system to ensure equal access to education is an essential topic.

In September 2019, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's first nationwide survey on school attendance of foreign children (FY 2019) revealed that approximately 20,000 of foreign children living in Japan may not be attending school. This means that approximately one in five (18.1%) foreign children living in Japan may be out of school.

This is said to be almost the same as in Sub-Saharan Africa (18.8%), which has the highest percentage of children not attending school (primary education) in the world.

Why are there so many children of foreign nationality out of school in Japan, a developed country?

Today, we would like to share with you the current status of language support for foreign children attending school, conditions, costs, and tools that need to be kept in mind.

Current Status of Language Support
Public elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo provide various types of support for foreign children and students who do not speak Japanese. For example, in Minato Ward, classes are taught in English. In other words, volunteer interpreters are available during classes, free Japanese language classes are offered, and other support services vary among the 23 wards of Tokyo.

Foreign children living in Japan can enroll in public schools in the same way as Japanese children. On the other hand, children of foreign nationalities are not obligated to receive compulsory education in Japan. The following is a summary of the enrollment procedures, entrance requirements, and items (tools) required at elementary and junior high schools in Japan.

Parents of foreign nationality children must first go through the procedures at the city office (ward office). After completing the procedures at the Board of Education in the city office, the school will be decided according to the address where you live. All required documents are written in Japanese and must be filled out in Japanese, so if you cannot read or write Japanese, you must be accompanied by an interpreter/translator.

The grade level is also determined by the age of the student as in the case of Japanese students, but if the student's Japanese level is deemed too low to study with students in the same grade, the student may start at a grade one level below the student's age.

Entrance Requirements for Public Elementary and Junior High Schools in Japan
- Parents and children must be registered with an address in Japan.

- The child must be of school-going age.

Fees for Public Elementary and Junior High Schools
Tuition at public elementary and junior high schools in Japan is free, but there are some other costs involved.

For example, there are school lunch fees (about 4,000 yen per month - varies from school to school), PTA membership fees, tool fees, fees for field trips, forest school, school excursions, and uniforms (mainly junior high school). Tools required at elementary schools are summarized below.

Tools required for public elementary schools in Japan
These are examples of items that need to be prepared before entering elementary school. They may vary slightly from school to school, but the following is a list of common items. Once you are admitted to school, you can obtain a list of tools and things you need to purchase. You can also ask for more information at the local government office.

If you do the bare minimum, the process is simple.

However, it may have been a surprisingly unknown current situation.

I think it is important for every parent to make sure that their children of foreign nationality can attend school in the same manner as children of Japanese nationality, and that they have a fulfilling school life.

We believe that Japan is ready to accept children.

Please read this article and use it as a reference for your child's schooling!


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