Updated: 22 Apr 2022
Editorial: Japan's education system is failing kids with foreign roots There are many children in Japan with foreign roots who, because they don't speak Japanese well, cannot take regular classes at school. 19 Apr, 2022.
Many foreign children in Japan enrolled in special-needs classes for 'language' reasons An article about why there is a high number of children with foreign roots in special-needs classes , including the story of Nayara Natsumi Kinjo, a Japanese-Brazilian person whose teacher at elementary school wrongly told her she might have a disability. Mainichi, 12 Apr 2022
Foreign middle-schoolers getting Japanese help still at high school disadvantage: survey This article looks at problems for studnts with foeign roots, including lack of progress with learning Japanese. Mainichi, 4 May 2021.
Children with foreign roots a growing social issue in Japan "Nearly 4 percent of children living in group homes for youngsters across Japan have at least one parent with foreign roots, forcing staff members to confront issues they were not initially trained to handle". Asahi Shimbun, 18 Apr 2021.
Japan failing to support young Brazilians Stories of young Brazilians in Izumo City, Shimano. NHK World, 29 Feb 2020.
Bullying of Kurdish students at Kawaguchi schools a growing problem "Incidents of bullying against Kurdish pupils living in this town, home to the largest population of Kurds in Japan, have intensified to the point that some students are staying home to avoid classmates." Mainichi Shimbun, 23 Apr 2019.
Born "Illegal" in Japan This article tells the stories of two families in which children have been born to parents who are in Japan 'illegally' without the correct visa. One story is about a refugee family whose mother is put into immigration detention for two years before let out on provisional release. It explains the impact of this separation on her children and the family. NHK World, 20 Jan 2021
Japan is young Kurd's only home, despite challenges of 'illegal resident' status This article tells the story of Ramazan, a young Kurdish man who came to Japan with his family of asylum seekers when he was 9. He talks about the difficulties he faced as a child growing up in this situation and now as an adult who is on provisional release, and doesn't have legal residence status and so cannot work. Mainichi Shimbun, 6 Jul 2021.
Foreign children slipping through the cracks of Japan's education system An NHK survey found thatout of 120,000 foreign children between the ages of 6 and 14 living in Japan about 8,400 are believed to have not attended school. This article looks at the situation of some of these children who are attending a nursery school in Hamamatsu City, even though they are 6 years old or over. NHK World. 17 Apr 2019.
Japan to boost education support for non-native children: Easier-to-read entrance tests among proposals for more inclusive schools This article reports on a range of measures including help for parents with enroling children in kindergraten and elementary school and more teachers who speak the languages of foreign children for schools. Nikkei Asia, 18 Jun 2019.
Evening schools catering to foreign residents on the rise This report focuses on a evening junior high school in Kawaguchi as an example of the role that these school play in educating foreign residents in Japan. NHK World Japan, 22 Apr 2019.
Coming to grips with a multicultural Japan Bullying in Japan seems to have taken a new twist -- the targeting of Japanese children of culturally mixed parentage. This article looks at the discrimination that children of mixed ethnicity or 'hafu' face in and explains the story of Lawrence Shimotaka Shimoji who started the website, Hafu Talk. NHK World, 14 June 2019.
Japan forces a harsh choice on children of migrant families This article focuses on the story of a 17 year old Sikh person, Gursewak Singh, born in Japan after his family fled from India. They have been refused refugee status 4 times and have been living on provisional release since 2001, unable to work or get health insurance. His parents have been told that if the return to India their children can stay in Japan, splitting the family, and might be able to get residency. Reuters, 22 Nov 2016.
Tokyo court upholds deportation order for Thai teenager born and raised in Japan "A Thai teenager born and raised in Japan lost an appeal on Tuesday against a lower court ruling that upheld his deportation order, highlighting the country’s deep reluctance to accept non-Japanese people, even as its population ages and shrinks. The Tokyo High Court ruled that Utinan Won, a 16-year-old high school student living without a visa, should leave Japan. Won’s mother had already left Japan after lower court judges said her son could win residency if she returned to Thailand." Japan Times, Dec 6, 2016. See also the link below.
Japan-born son, Thai mom split by heartbreak legal deal This article looks at the case of a Thai woman who had been in japan more than 20 years, and was living on provisional release, who agreed to return to Thailand in order for her 16 year old son, who was born and grew up in japan, to stay in Japan. The article also looks at the situation of other similar families with members living on provisional release. Japan Times, Nov 24, 2016. See also the story above for later news on this case.
Seeking a Better Society for Children of Multicultural Backgrounds An issue of of Takarabako, that looks "at the ways in which efforts are being made by schools, citizens, and government to resolve the problems facing children of multicultural backgrounds", in Okubo (Shinjuku, Tokyo), Nagata Ward, Osaka, and Ota City, Gunma.
Amerasian kids get short shrift in divorce capital of Japan This article looks at the situation of Amerasians - children of mixed American and Asian parentage - in Ginowan, Okinawa, and the problems they face including discrimination, poor education and absentee fathers who don't pay child care. Japan Times, July 20, 2000.
Forgotten In Japão: Education in the Brazilian Dekasegi Community A film about the Brazilian-Japanese community in Toyota City by Sam Holden
Lonely Swallows This is the website for a documentary movie (in Japanese) that follows the struggles of Japanese-Brazilian children living in Hamamatsu....There are hundreds of thousands of young Japanese-Brazilians who came to Japan when they were very young with their immigrant parents. Many of them drop out after junior high school, and start working at factories. Due to economic recession, many of their families lose their jobs, forcing to return to Brazil. Watch a trailer for this film above.
Helping Brazilian kids master local life An article about Japanese-Brazilian Tetsuyoshi Kodama helps young Japanese-Brazilian dropouts in Hamamatsu by helping them to learn karate. Japn Times, 23 Aug, 2011.
Education woes beset Brazilian children Of 33,000 Brazilian children here between the ages 5 and 14, 10,200 are enrolled in public schools and another 10,000 are studying in Brazilian schools in Japan. This means more than 10,000 are not receiving an education. Japan Times, 14 Nov, 2008.
More children born with a foreign parent: Japan needs to deal with legal ramifications, experts say One of every 30 babies born in Japan in 2006 had at least one parent originating from overseas, according to a recent government survey....This article looks at the issues this raises including the need to provide language support for foreign children. Japan Times, Aug. 4, 2008.
LDP panel mulls easing law on dual citizenship: Mixed couples' kids could have two nationalities Liberal Democratic Party member Taro Kono said Thursday he has submitted a proposal to an LDP panel he heads calling for the Nationality Law to be revised to allow offspring of mixed couples, one of whom being Japanese, to have more than one nationality....Under the current system, Japan, in principle, requires Japanese nationals who also hold citizenship in another country to choose one or the other before they turn 22. Japan Times, Nov. 14, 2008.
Bar to kids' citizenship ruled illegal: Supreme Court opens door to unwed foreign moms' children In a ruling sure to affect thousands of others born out of wedlock to non-Japanese mothers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted 10 children of Filipino women the right to Japanese nationality. Saying it led to unreasonable discrimination, 12 of the 15 justices on the top court's grand bench ruled unconstitutional a provision in the Nationality Law that states that such children can only become citizens of the mother's home country. Japan Times, June 5, 2008.
Citizenship for kids still tall order Many observers of the Nationality Law have welcomed the government's proposed revision approved Tuesday by the Cabinet that will soon allow hundreds of children born out of wedlock to Japanese men and foreign women to obtain Japanese nationality if the father recognizes paternity even after birth. Despite what seems to be a positive move, however, some also predict many challenges ahead before the children entitled to Japanese nationality can actually acquire it. Japan Times, Nov. 5, 2008.
Country kids need language support: Growing educational diversity not limited to urban areas This article focuses on Yamagata Prefecture which was the first prefecture to encourage international marriages and where 1 in 17 of all marriages are international. It looks at the need for better Japanese language support for 'newcomer' children - children born outside of Japan whose parents bring them to Japan - especially in the Japanese countryside. Japan Times, March 14, 2006.
A glimmer of hope for castoffs: NGO finding jobs for young, desperate Japanese-Filipinos In the Philippines, Japanese-Filipinos, known as "Japinos," are often looked down on as children of "Japayukis," or Filipino women who work as bar girls, waitresses or entertainers in Japan. This article looks at their situation and at the work of an NGO in the Philippines, Shin-Nikkeijin Network Association, Cebu Inc., or SNN, that helps these children locate their Japanese fathers and seek financial support. It also gives some background about the immigration in recent years of Filipino workers, especially women, to Japan. Japan Times, Oct. 11, 2006.
Japanese-Filipino children from the Philippines-based NGO “DAWN” visit the Center An article about the visit of Seven Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) and three female staff members of the Filipino NGO “DAWN (Development Action for Women Network)” to the National Women's Education Center in Japan. It also descibes the work of DAWN to help Filipino women with children fathered by Japanese men and their children, mainly by supporting women’s independence and providing legal and financial assistance to both mother and her children.
The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) is a non-government development organization created on February 6, 1996 to assist Filipino women migrants in Japan and their Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) in the promotion and protection of their human rights and welfare.
Most Jap-Fils prefer dad's 'love' over citizenship Most Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) would rather meet their fathers in person and be recognized as their children than be granted Japanese citizenship. This article also gives some background on Filipino women who went to work in Japan, mainly in the 'entertainment industry' and on the identity crisis faced by Japanese-Filipino children. GMANews.TV, 08/21/2008.
Japanese-Filipino children begin new lives in fathers’ homeland Thirteen Japanese-Filipino children and 14 Filipino mothers left for Japan on Monday, realizing a long-held dream to live in their Japanese fathers’ or husbands’ homeland. Japan Times, Oct 14, 2008
>>> More on 'hafu'/'dabaru'/bicultural children >>>
Nonprofit brings together foreign, Japanese residents in Hamamatsu Hamamatsu's foreign population of about 30,000 people largely like in separate areas from the Japanese population, making it hard for foreign children to integrate into society and contributing to the fact that half of foreign children don't go to high school. This article looks at this situation and at the work of Hamamatsu NPO Network Center to change the situation. Japan Times, Mar. 13, 2010.
Japanese-Brazilian families: a failure to communicate This article looks at the problems of communication at home caused when the children of Nikkei ( Japanese-Brazilian) parents in Japan attend Japanese schools and grow up speaking Japanese, not Portuguese, as their first language. It also argues that learning their Portuguese mother tongue is important for positive identity formation and positive learning experiences for these children and looks at some policies to support the learning of Portuguese by Japanese-Brazilian children in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. Japan Times, Aug. 1, 2008.
City strives to school foreign youth: Toyota, Brazilians offer their own types of user-friendly education This article discusses the education of Nikkei Brazilian children Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. It considers efforts to support Japanese-Brazilian students to study in Japanese in public schools, but also at the focus on integrating them into Japanese society, and discusses the need for them to develop their own Brazilian identities and learn Portuguese. It looks at the Escola Alegria de Saber, or the Joy of Knowledge School, a private Brazilian school which has set up branches in other parts of Aichi. Japan Times, May 9, 2000.
Multicultural studio' offers hope: Yokohama volunteers help kids with studies, social problems An article about volunteers working to help school students with non-Japanese, mostly Vietnamese, cultural backgrounds at the Icho Danchi public housing complex in Yokohama. Kanagawa Prefecture is home to about one-third of the Indochinese who have settled in Japan since the late 1970s. Japan Times, Nov. 28, 2002.
Book is behind bullying of mixed-race children A letter by a Canadian of African descent about discrimination faced by his children who have a Japanese mother. Japan Times, April 10, 2012.
The Education of Foreign Children in Japan by Yukari Himeno. The aim of this paper is to describe how Japan’s education system treats children from other countries, especially in regard to junior high schools and the high school entrance examinations. I use statistical data from documents of the Japanese government, published material explaining the state of “newcomer children,” and interviews with teachers of junior high schools and high schools in Kanagawa prefecture. David Ewick's homepage, Chuo University Faculty of Policy Studies, 2004.
“Mother tongue 1, 2, 3!” (多文化な子どもの学びー母語の育む活動から)Website of Kansai Research Group for Mother Tongue Education: "We created this website to provide information on the importance of mother tongue, or heritage, languages for children who are connected to foreign countries, and to provide specific information on assisting children to use these languages."
Language help lets foreign students fit in There are lots of foreign children in Japanese schools, and their numbers are growing. Unfortunately, most schools aren't equipped to teach newcomers the Japanese they need in order to learn and become part of the school community. Japan Times, May 17, 2002.
Immigrant teaches peers: Brazilian helps other newcomers to Japan Brazilian-born Elisa Kemmisaki, 22, is a newly assigned English language teacher at Ushioda Junior High School in Yokohama. She also helps pupils in the "kokusai kyoshitsu" (international classroom) pursue their study of Japanese and other subjects. Japan Times, June 18, 2003.
Over 22,000 foreign kids need Japanese-language guidance at school The number of foreign children attending public elementary and secondary schools in Japan who are in need of Japanese-language guidance as of last September increased 8% from a year earlier to a record high of 22,413, the education ministry said Tuesday. Japan Today/Kyodo, August 1, 2007.
Country kids need language support: Growing educational diversity not limited to urban areas This article focuses on Yamagata Prefecture which was the first prefecture to encourage international marriages and where 1 in 17 of all marriages are international. It looks at the need for better Japanese language support for 'newcomer' children - children born outside of Japan whose parents bring them to Japan - especially in the Japanese countryside. Japan Times, March 14, 2006.
World Kids Community 多文化なこどもたちと育ち、在日外国人コミュニティと協働するワールドキッズコミュニティのサイトです
Stand by Me / すたんどばいみー is a 'toujisha' group supporting children with foreign roots (both with mother tongue language education and support for their Japanese education) in Icho Danchi (Yokohama and Yamoto cities). See also this older webpage: Stand By Me Part of Ed.Venture 教育支援グループ
多文化まちづくり工房 is an organisation based at Icho Danchi in Yokohama/Yamato cities which provides Japanese language classes for children there with foreign roots, taught by volunteers including university students.
Citizens Network for Japanese Filipino Children (Nishi Shinjuku) "We are a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Tokyo. We support Japanese-Filipino Children (JFC) who are born to Filipino mothers and Japanese fathers." Provides legal support for finding Japanese fathers and confirming nationality, plus livelihood and education support.
Support 21 / さぽうと21 is an volunteer organisation based in Meguro, Tokyo, that provides counselling about living in Japan, scholarships for education, and Japanese lessons for refugees, nikkeijin (descendants of Japanese) and returnees, including those from China, living in Japan. It has developed out of the Association for Aid and Relief which was started in 1979 to help refugees to Japan from Indochina and which has now become an international aid organisation.
Asian People's Friendship Society (Itabashi ku) Support with health, legal and other issues for mainly undocumented foreign workers and their children
Multicultural Center Tokyo (in English) / 多文化共生センター東京（日本語）”Multicultural Center Tokyo organizes and implements programs for people with multicultural backgrounds, mainly designed for children and women”, in three areas: education, child-rearing and multicultural understanding. It runs a 'Multicultural Free School' to "support children from other countries who wish to go to Japanese high school with Japanese language study".
The Multilingual Education Institute (Ijime Zero) This organization is a national multilingual network to help multicultural and multilingual children and their families who area suffering from burying in schools in Japan. See also this article, An NGO reaches out to bullied foreign kids, about Ijime Zero and the education of foreign children in Japan. Japan Times, Nov. 28, 2008.
Project on the Elaboration of Educational Materials for Foreign Children from Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
The Multicultural Community Learning Support Center also at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies contributes to the education of our university's students through encouraging and supporting them to engage in learning-assistance volunteer activities for children from foreign countries, as well as, through promoting human resource development to meet the demands of contemporary multilingual/multicultural society.
TOMO2 Hamamatsu Foreign Children's Educational Support Organisation is an NPO which sends teachers of Japanese to schools in Hamamatsu to help foreign children.
Education Support Information for Foreign Children by Hamamatsu NPO Network Center (N-Pocket) "We made this website for foreign children be able to receive appropriate education and live in harmony in Japan. On these pages, we provide information about the difference of education system between Japan and foreign countries, senior high schools and organization which works to support the immigrants." Includes information on Japanese language classes.
World Kids Community 多文化な子どもたちと育ち、在日外国人コミュニティと協働するワールドキッズコミュニティのサイトです.
Ivy Japan is a voluntary organisation in Yamagata that provides support for foreigners including children in Japanese schools, as well as other activities.新型コロナ＞異国の学び場 待ち焦がれ 川口で日本語教室が再開 An article about the Japanese language support group for Kurdish people that supports young people with their studies in Kawaguchi Shi and how it has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo Shimbun, 30 May 2020.
域と生きる ～みんなが共に生きる社会とは？～ The ボランティア活動 section of this page has information about the support group for Kurdish people in Kawaguchi and includes an interview with Komuro san, who runs the group. NHK 高校講座。
Ushioda Junior High School A Japanese public school in Yokohama in which many students with multicultural background study.
AmerAsian school in Okinawa A school for children of mixed Japanese-US parentage in Okinawa.
Shimofukuda Junior High School A school that has students who are Indo-Chinese, Nikkeijin and returnees from China, which has set up a special International Elective (kokusai sentaku) course for these students.
Hiro Gakuen School in Ogaki, Gifu Ken for Nikkeijin (website in Japanese and Portuguese).
Multicultural Coexistence in Japan--Japanese Filipino Students and Overcoming Their Difficulties by Sena Nukata, Department of Sociology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, 2015. The paper discusses the problems faced by Japanese Filipino children and how the educational system supports them including in terms of Japanese language support.
Educational Challenges of a Japanese-Filipino Child in a Japanese Classroom A short academic article that looks at the experiences of a Japanese-Filipino elementary school student to understand the challenges facing bicultural children in Japan, especially in terms of language, classroom discipline and parent-school relationships. Click on the blue button int he top right to download the pdf file. By Melvin Jabar, DE LA Salle University, July 2011.