Foreign students needing Japanese language training triple in 20 years
The number of foreign students in Japan’s public schools requiring Japanese language instruction has tripled over the past two decades, reaching 57,718 in fiscal 2023, Qazinform News Agency ciets a Kyodo News analysis of government data.
This group now accounts for about 40 percent of all foreign students in elementary, junior, and senior high schools.
The rise reflects Japan’s growing foreign population. Many of these children use their native languages, such as Chinese or Portuguese, at home. While foreign students are allowed to enroll in public schools, they are not subject to Japan’s compulsory education program.
Aichi has the highest number of foreign students up to 11,924 students, 4.3-fold up since 2003.
Then comes Kanagawa with 6,182, Tokyo with 5,373, Shizuoka with 4,275, Osaka with 3,908.
In addition, 11,405 Japanese nationals also required language support, often due to extended stays abroad. Altogether, 69,123 students needed Japanese language schooling in 2023.
The Education Ministry survey found foreign national students totaled 129,449 in public schools. Shiga Prefecture had the highest ratio, with 84 percent of foreign students needing language instruction.
Education adviser Satoshi Takeyama stressed the importance of respecting native languages in learning: “Knowledge can take hold if students think in their native language. If they study in unfamiliar Japanese, much of it may be lost.”
Students requiring support were identified in about 1,000 municipalities, covering 60 percent of Japan.
Notably, a total of 35,075 foreign students from 88 countries are currently studying at 99 universities across Kazakhstan.
