With junior high school entrance exam season under way in Tokyo, students may soon have more exciting opportunities waiting for them at their prospective schools.

Junior high and high schools in Japan are increasingly supporting students aiming to study abroad through partnerships with overseas universities and international programs.

Despite the weak yen and financial challenges, interest in global education continues to rise. Schools are responding by exploring partnerships with affordable universities in Asia and offering options such as a dual diploma program.

“Just the other day, a representative from an Italian university visited us. Before that, it was someone from Spain,” said Akihiro Ozawa, head of overseas university admissions at Hiroo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo.

“We’re now receiving inquiries from various countries, including those in Asia, looking for talented students,” he said.

FAIR SEES RECORD TURNOUT

Hiroo Gakuen, which offers an international course, saw a total of 206 graduates from the class of 2023 academic year accepted at overseas universities.

The school hosted an overseas university fair in September last year, which welcomed representatives from around 130 universities worldwide.

The event attracted roughly 2,000 students, including not only those from Hiroo Gakuen but also from international schools across the Tokyo metropolitan area.

About 20 Japanese universities seeking students with a strong English proficiency also participated; Waseda, Keio, Sophia, Tsukuba and Kyushu were among them.

“Many students are looking to broaden their international perspective as they prepare for their future careers,” Ozawa said. “With the yen’s depreciation, they are considering universities in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, in case scholarships are unavailable.”

Schools with a high number of students progressing to overseas universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area include Shibuya Education Academy Makuhari Junior and Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture and its sister school in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.

Mita International School in Tokyo, and Meikei High School in Ibaraki Prefecture also see many of their students attend universities abroad.

In the Kansai region, institutions with this distinction include AICJ Junior and Senior High School in Hiroshima Prefecture and Rakunan Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto Prefecture.

PATHWAYS IN MALAYSIA, NEW ZEALAND

Some schools are expanding on their overseas university partnerships and offering support for students aiming to study abroad.

Morimura Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Yokohama partnered with Taylor’s University in Malaysia in the 2022 academic year.

Tuition and living costs are comparatively low in Malaysia, and students at the university also have the opportunity to earn degrees or transfer to institutions in the United States, Britain, Australia and other countries.

The school actively engages in international exchanges, offering programs such as study trips to Singapore and Taiwan along with classes in Mongolian and Portuguese.

It has a dual diploma program that enables students to obtain a high school diploma from the United States through two years of online study.

The school said that its students have pursued studies not only in Malaysia but also at a university in Dubai and a medical school in the Czech Republic.

Jumonji Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo, which is gaining popularity in this year’s junior high school entrance exams, partnered with Taiwan’s Shih Chien University and a local girls' high school.

Students can participate in local programs during summer vacation and, if they meet the requirements, gain a recommendation for admission to Shih Chien University. 

Massey University in New Zealand partnered with a number of schools last June. In Tokyo, new connections were forged with Showa Women’s University Junior-Senior High School; Koen Girls Junior and Senior High School; and Jissen Joshi Gakuen Junior and Senior High School. 

Beyond the capital, the university formed partnerships with Osaka Jogakuin Senior and Junior High School and a junior-senior high school in Kawasaki that is affiliated with Japan Women's University.

Students who meet the language proficiency and academic requirements can receive designated school recommendations for admission to the university.

Mineko Mashimo, principal of Showa Women’s University Junior and Senior High School, said, “We offer a one-year study abroad program in Canada, and some students choose to remain there and continue on to local universities.”

“We are also launching a three-month study abroad program in Boston (in the United States),” she said. “We are enhancing support for improving language proficiency and essay writing to assist students aiming for admission to overseas universities, while also actively building partnerships with other international universities.”

In the 2021 academic year, Yakumo Academy Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo joined the UPAA, a program that allows high school students from participating schools to gain admission to partner overseas universities through a recommendation system. 

Students can improve their language proficiency scores through e-learning and meeting academic requirements grants them eligibility to apply to 55 universities across nine countries, including the United States and Britain.

In the last academic year, the number of students from the school accepted to overseas universities increased to 20.

The prestigious girls' school Toshimagaoka-Joshigakuen Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo has offered weekly all-English lessons after school for the past three years. These lessons for its junior high school students are intended to help them develop the ability to succeed on the global stage.

Starting this academic year, the school has also made essay-writing courses and other programs aimed at preparing for admission to overseas universities available to junior high school students.

The school also introduced a new system utilizing Eiken English proficiency test results from this year’s entrance exam.

“The number of students considering overseas universities is increasing, and interest in seminars about studying abroad is also growing,” said a representative from the school admissions PR team.

TUMBLING BARRIERS

While schools continue enhancing their study abroad support, they are also starting to expand education for students coming to Japan.

An elementary school attached to Kumamoto University's Faculty of Education is breaking new ground. In addition to the university, the world's leading chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., has a factory in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The elementary school intends to introduce an English immersion program called the “international class” in the 2027 academic year; this would make it the first national elementary school to do so. The program will also welcome children of foreign nationalities.

“Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel the barriers between Japan and the rest of the world have been rapidly coming down,” said Ri Yasuda, head of the Yasuda Education Research Institute, who is well-versed in private junior high and high school education.

“With the declining birthrate, there is a growing interest among parents in sending their children to universities abroad, not just in Europe and United States but in other regions as well,” he said.

“At the same time, as several British boarding schools have established campuses in Japan, overseas junior high and high schools, as well as universities, are increasingly seeking talented students regardless of nationality,” he added. “We are entering an era where students can pursue their chosen paths without being limited by national borders.”

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACCESSIBILITY

However, studying abroad comes with significant costs.

“We are now in a time where we must nurture the next generation with a global perspective,” said Akio Kondo, the principal of Yakumo Academy Junior and Senior High School.

“The government should promptly increase its education budget and expand scholarship programs so that children from ordinary families can pursue opportunities abroad,” he said.