A foreign student gives a speech in Japanese at New World International Academy in Nagoya on February 18. — The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN Photo

Kazuyuki Uda

TOKYO — As the number of foreigners living in Japan has hit a record high, it has become urgent to improve the environment for learning Japanese.

While the central government has tightened the standards for screening Japanese language schools to improve the quality of education, many municipalities lack even schools or classrooms, so more students cannot be accommodated.

“The central and local governments should work together increase students’ learning opportunities,” experts have said.

On the morning of February 18, students at New World International Academy, a Japanese language school in Nagoya, gave speeches in Japanese about the appeal of Nara. The class will visit the city for off-campus learning.

“Todaiji temple is a famous temple in Nara. I want to look at the cute deer there,” Diyali Yamuna said in her speech. She was one of 18 international students in the class.

Diyali, 19, came to Japan from Nepal in the autumn of 2024. Initially, her Japanese ability was limited to simple greetings. But now she can pass part-time job interviews in Japanese without difficulty and will graduate in March.

“I want to go to a junior college and work in caregiving in Japan,” she said.

The school is certified by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry as a “Japanese Language Institution,” which means foreigners can obtain the “student” status of residence.

A total of 83 students from nine countries and regions, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, are studying Japanese to attend universities or vocational schools in Japan. The school also emphasizes exchange events with Japanese residents in local communities and teaching disaster prevention.

“We want to foster not just students aiming for higher education but also those who are needed by local communities,” said Tadaharu Miki, the school’s principal.

Only 64 certified schools nationwide

Japanese language schools for foreign students used to be approved by the Justice Ministry, which conducted examinations on the status of residence.

The number of Japanese language schools designated by the ministry almost doubled over 10 years to 873 nationwide by the end of 2024. However, schools with inadequate enrollment management and insufficient language instruction have started to stand out.

In fiscal 2024, the government enacted a law on accrediting Japanese Language Institutes and transferred control to the education ministry.

The law mandates schools to compile curricula that meets students’ goals such as higher education, employment or matters dealing with daily life. It also requires that registered Japanese language instructors teach students.

If a designated school does not obtain certification from the ministry by March 2029, it will be unable to accept international students. But only 64 schools nationwide have obtained such certification.

A language school operator in the Hokuriku region applied twice to establish an accredited school but was turned down both times.

“When it comes to compiling the curriculum, we don’t have the know-how,” said an official at the company.

Meanwhile, at Sendagaya Japanese College in Tokyo, a school with approximately 1,700 foreign students, eight teachers spent nearly a year drawing up the curriculum, which led the school to receive the ministry’s accreditation in October 2024.

“Many Japanese language schools are small-scale institutions with capacity for only about 100 students. They have limited time and personnel that are needed for obtaining the ministry’s accreditation, including for creating the curriculum,” said Tadakazu Niiyama, the school’s vice principal.

“Japanese language schools have traditionally had a prominent aspect as ‘preparatory schools’ for university admission. But the new system emphasises communication skills, leaving some schools unable to adapt,” said Musashino University Prof. Uichi Kamiyoshi, who specialises in Japanese language education.

Uneven distribution

It is imperative to quickly secure places for Japanese language learners and train language teachers.

The number of foreign nationals living in Japan reached a record high of 3.95 million at the end of June 2025. Japanese learners at schools and other institutions totaled 290,000 in fiscal 2024, almost comparable with the number of registered students at correspondence high schools.

Meanwhile, so-called blank areas, where there is no Japanese learning facility for foreigners to learn daily conversation and daily life guidelines, account for 38.2 per cent of all municipalities across the country. This percentage accounts for where approximately 170,000 foreign residents live.

Due to the uneven distribution of such learning facilities, the job environment for Japanese language teachers has not been adequate, either. According to an education ministry survey, in fiscal 2024, of the approximately 50,000 working teachers, 27,000 were volunteers.

“It will be difficult to increase the number of those involved in language education unless their profession is stable,” said Yoko Ishikawa, president of aileron, a Tokyo-based educational support company. “Improving teacher’s working conditions must be considered alongside improving the quality of Japanese language education.” — The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN