KUMAMOTO--The arrival of the world’s largest chip factory in Kumamoto Prefecture has sent teachers scrambling to meet surging demand for Japanese language instruction.

The region has seen an influx of families, including many from abroad, since Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) opened its factory in Kikuyo town in the prefecture in 2024.

About 2,400 people work at the factory. Many of them reside outside the town, including in neighboring Kumamoto, the prefectural capital, seeking better living and educational environments.

In fiscal 2025, 71 children with foreign roots at 37 public elementary and junior high schools in Kumamoto have received Japanese language instruction.

The city has deployed 10 Japanese language teachers to four elementary schools and one junior high school, supported by 18 assistants.

These educators provide individualized instruction to students--typically four hours a week--to help them integrate into regular classrooms.

TECH TOOLS, REAL CHALLENGES

In a Japanese language support class at Kusunoki Elementary School in Kumamoto, teacher Aoi Tsunoda asked a third-grade girl: “Your mother is coming back from Taiwan soon, right? When?”

“‘Ashita no ashita’ (tomorrow’s tomorrow),’’ the girl replied.

“What do we call ‘ashita no ashita’ again?” Tsunoda said.

“‘Ototoi’ (day before yesterday)?” the girl answered, before correcting herself. “Oh, ‘asatte’ (day after tomorrow)!”

Tsunoda uses both analog and digital tools, including flashcards and printed digital textbooks.

The students’ iPads are equipped with apps for practicing hiragana and kanji stroke order.

“Flashcards make learning fun but carrying so many is tough. So I’m digitizing as much as possible,” Tsunoda said.

Tsunoda and other staff members teach children from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Afghanistan and other overseas regions. She said the children often outpace teachers in digital fluency.

Before class, the third-grade girl, whose family moved from Taiwan to Kumamoto in fiscal 2023, was composing a long passage on her iPad in her native language, translating it into Japanese, and then refining it.

“It’s hard to write in Japanese from scratch, but I can do it on the iPad,” the girl said.

She also uses the device’s read-aloud function to understand text captured by the camera.

Her homeroom teacher said, “If I speak simple English, she understands most things. With the iPad, communication isn’t too difficult.”

RISING FOREIGN RESIDENT POPULATION

According to the internal affairs ministry’s annual survey as of Jan. 1, Kumamoto Prefecture’s overall population has continued to decline.

However, the number of foreign residents jumped by about 24 percent in 2024, the highest increase among Japan’s 47 prefectures.

The number of foreign residents also rose by about 15 percent in the prefecture in 2025.

To support this shift, Kumamoto Prefecture has distributed 100 compact translation devices to 10 education offices for student use and subsidized teacher training in Japanese language instruction at Kumamoto University’s graduate school.

Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura last year asked the education ministry for financial support to increase teaching and support staff, citing the rapid rise in foreign students.

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has already started construction on its second factory in the prefecture. Demand for Japanese language instruction is expected to continue rising.

GLOBAL FAMILIES, LOCAL CHOICES

Many families from abroad prefer international schools over public ones in Japan, anticipating a return to their home countries.

Not all public school teachers speak English, but many parents can communicate in English.

According to a survey conducted amid efforts to attract TSMC to Kumamoto Prefecture, many TSMC employees expressed a desire for their children to receive education in English and develop high English proficiency.

At the request of the prefecture, Kyushu Lutheran School International Primary School Division opened last year in Kumamoto.

Of its 57 students, 12 are from Taiwan.

“Some students had studied English before enrollment,” Kaori Kozuma, the school’s principal, said. “Many scored around Eiken levels 4 or 5, and sixth-graders reached Eilen pre-level 2. Families are highly committed to education. Some even ask for more homework.”

A representative from the Taiwan Study Support Center, a general incorporated association based in Ibaraki Prefecture that promotes educational exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, said English language and digital education start early in Taiwan.

“Some worry that Japanese public schools won’t prepare their children well for returning home,” the representative said.

The education ministry’s central council for education is currently reviewing curriculum improvements for students needing Japanese language support.

However, an official of the Kumamoto city education board said: “Even among children with foreign roots, learning experiences and styles vary. Ideally, we’d tailor curricula individually, but that’s difficult.”

With the number of such children expected to grow, the official said more staff members, a bigger budget and enhanced training are needed to ensure everyone can learn together in the same classroom.