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Japan’s Overseas School System

This chapter will be of interest to families with children who plan to leave Japan; especially those that intend to return and have their children re-enter the school system. In this chapter, I will outline a brief history of the system of Japanese schools (nihonjingakko or nihongakko for short) and the Japanese supplementary schools (hoshujugyoko or hoshuko for short). I will also touch upon the matter of private schools (shiteizaigaigakko). Nearly all of these schools have been set up overseas under the auspices of the Japanese Ministry of Education, and those set up independently have typically sought its approval and support. While some countries support and provide schooling overseas, none appear to match the sheer scale of Japan’s centrally controlled network of overseas schools. For Japanese and international families living outside Japan, these schools serve as a valuable means for their children to maintain and develop their Japanese literacy (kokugo) and to keep them in touch with Japanese culture. In this chapter, I will focus on the re-establishment of Japan’s overseas schooling network in the 1970s and explain how it operates. I will then identify key changes that have taken place since the 1990s. Understanding this recent history will profit sojourning and migrating families who are considering what educational path to take for their children.