Japan Parties Agree to Make High School Education Free in FY ’26

Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and Komeito agreed Wednesday to launch a program in fiscal 2026 to effectively make high school education free. The agreement was reached at a meeting of working-level officials from the LDP, its new coalition partner, Nippon Ishin, and Komeito, which ended its coalition partnership with the LDP earlier this month. The parties also agreed to raise the upper limit for existing subsidies from the current 396,000 yen to 457,000 yen for full-time private high school students, and to 337,000 yen for correspondence school students. “This is a very important agreement,” former education minister Masahiko Shibayama of the LDP told reporters after the meeting. “We will fully inform (schools) about the changes so that students can choose their future courses without worries.” Foreign students who are not expected to permanently live in Japan will not be covered by the free education program. Foreign schools will also be excluded, but a separate measure will be taken to maintain the current level of financial assistance. The program is expected to lead to a decline in the number of students applying for public high schools, whose tuition fees are currently lower than those of private high schools. Against this backdrop, a new subsidy system for prefectural governments will be established to help public high schools enhance their appeal. The three parties also agreed to take steps to prevent private high schools from raising their tuition fees to take advantage of the free education program, such as having the central government monitor their tuition information online. The agreement stated that it will be essential to secure permanent financial resources for the free education program, including through tax system reform. It also included a policy not to use existing funds for the initiative. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]