Japan Govt OKs Bill to Make High School Tuition Free

Tokyo, Feb. 27 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday adopted at a cabinet meeting Friday a bill to revise legislation to make high school tuition effectively free starting in the year from April. The bill will achieve this by raising the limit for annual tuition aid to 457,200 yen per person for full-time students attending private schools and to 337,200 yen for students learning through correspondence courses offered by private schools. The expected measure places no income limits on tuition aid. Currently, annual tuition aid is capped at 396,000 yen for full-time students at private schools and is subject to income limits. For full-time students attending public schools, the limit stands at 118,800 yen. The bill calls for enforcement on April 1. The government aims to have the bill enacted by the end of March. Students at foreign schools, after a transitional measure is provided, will be excluded from the scope of tuition aid under law. The government plans to set up a separate aid program with income limits for them. For foreign students who come to Japan accompanying their families and do not intend to settle in the country in the future, tuition aid will be contingent on income requirements and have a lower cap. The bill includes a rule calling for revisions to the tuition aid system within three years of enforcement if deemed necessary. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]