Photo/Illutration Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama, second from left, meets with reporters after discussions on the high school tuition-free program with officials from Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) and Komeito on Oct. 29. (Yoshika Uematsu)

Foreign students and those attending international schools will be ineligible for the high school tuition-free program starting next fiscal year.

According to an agreement reached on Oct. 29 by the Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) and Komeito, foreign nationals whose status of residence is “student” will be excluded from the program from fiscal 2026.

However, the three parties said assistance will be provided to those students under a separate framework from the perspective of securing globally competitive talent.

For students at international schools, assistance comparable to the level offered through fiscal 2024 under the tuition support program--up to 118,800 yen ($780) a year subject to an income cap--will be provided through a different system.

In both categories, students who are already enrolled will remain covered by the existing program until they graduate.

Currently, the program does not differentiate eligibility based on nationality. If income and other conditions are met, foreign students and those attending international schools are also eligible.

“We need to prioritize our own citizens first,” said Masahiko Shibayama, a former education minister from the LDP, noting that the expansion of the high school tuition-free program scheduled for fiscal 2026 is “extremely generous.”

The expansion of the program was agreed upon in February by the LDP and Komeito, which formed the ruling coalition at the time, and Nippon Ishin.

Under the agreement, the income cap was eliminated in fiscal 2025 for the annual tuition support grant of up to 118,800 yen for students in both public and private schools.

From fiscal 2026, the maximum annual grant for full-time students at private schools will be raised from the current 396,000 yen to 457,000 yen, with income testing also removed.

The LDP formed a coalition government with Nippon Ishin last week after Komeito ended its 26-year partnership with the LDP.

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