Foreign students outnumber high school slots in Tokyo, 3 prefs.

Foreign students are outnumbering high school slots in Tokyo, with 3 times the number of applications for the limited available spots, according to a Kyodo News survey. The issue is not limited to Tokyo, as the prefectures of Kanagawa, Osaka, and Hyogo also experienced an exceeding number of applications for special admission quotas.

In Tokyo, 517 students applied for up to 250 reserved places for those needing basic Japanese teaching in the high school entrance exams. This trend has been ongoing for seven consecutive years since 2020, when the survey began. Osaka saw 347 applications for just 132 slots, while Kanagawa had 347 applications for 229 slots, and Hyogo had 25 applications for 15 slots.

The problem is not isolated to these four prefectures, as at least five others, including Ibaraki and Aichi, had applications equal to or below the available slots. Yamanashi Prefecture noted that students arriving in Japan soon after taking entrance exams and those with limited Japanese proficiency faced difficulties gaining admission.

In contrast, Fukui Prefecture pointed to inadequate communication between schools and parents from overseas, which left some families concerned about school life and future education or career choices.

At Osaka Wakaba High School, over 30 percent of the students require basic Japanese education. Unlike international students who choose to come to Japan by themselves, these students did not have a choice in their relocation. Natsumi Koda, a teacher at the school, emphasized the need to ensure that foreign residents' children receive the support they require to thrive in Japanese society.