Japan’s ruling political parties earned criticism from far-right circles with their plan to lower the cost of high school for all students in the nation. Various polls, however, show a majority support the measure.
The new plan
In Japan, education is compulsory for elementary and middle schools. It’s voluntary for high school. However, in 2020, a whopping 98.8% of students advanced to three more years of education.
It isn’t cheap, though. According to Japan’s Ministry of Education (MEXT), between admission fees, school fees, field trips, supplies and whatnot, it takes around 1.5 million yen (USD $10,050) to get a student through high school. That’s around 500,000 yen yearly.
Low-income families can get a measure of economic assistance. Under the current system, households making 5.9 million yen ($39K) a year can get up to 118,800 yen ($795) in support for attending a public high school and up to 396,000 yen ($2,650) for attending a private high school. Households making up to 9.1 million ($61K) can get a flat 118,800 yen subsidy for either public or private school.
That doesn’t exactly make high school “free,” obviously. However, it covers the core course fees associated with attendance, which cost around 99,000 yen ($663).
Under the Innovation Party’s (維新の会; ishin no kai) proposed change, starting in April, all parents of high schoolers – regardless of income level – would receive 118,800 yen per year, regardless of whether the student attends a public or private high school. Next year, the plan would also eliminate private school subsidy income requirements and raise subsidies to 630,000 yen ($4,200) a year.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP; 自民党; jimintou) initially proposed a milder plan. The party, which nominally leads the government under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, wanted to lift the income limit next year and limit private school support to 457,000 yen ($3,060) yearly.
In the past, the LDP might have gotten everything it wanted. However, last year’s disastrous election results for the party means it has to play nice with its coalition partners. So, in the end, the LDP, Innovation, and LDP ally Komeito (公明党) agreed to lift public school income requirements this year, like Ishin wanted. However, they are limiting next year’s raise for private school tuition subsidies to the LDP’s proposed 457,000 yen.
The polls are in favor, despite tax concerns
Some posters on increasingly right-leaning social media site X have ripped into the proposal. Most are lambasting it as a “waste” of taxpayer money. Others specifically oppose funding for private school attendance, a measure that’s aimed at reducing educational discrepancies between rich and poor families.
Right-leaning publication Sankei Shimbun is also throwing cold water on the proposal. They argue it will lead to higher taxes and may even increase educational disparities among economic classes, as middle-class parents will spend the money they save on private tutoring at so-called “cram” schools (塾; juku).
However, anti-tax ideology – while a seemingly growing phenomenon on the Japanese right – isn’t a universally shared sentiment here. Indeed, polls show this hate for universal education isn’t shared by a majority of Japan’s citizens.
The least favorable poll lately came about five days ago from Mainichi. Out of 2,042 respondents, it showed only 46% support – but also only 22% opposed. That leaves a lot of wiggle room for support to go either way.
Other polls, however, are showing much more favorable margins. A Jiji poll conducted between the 6th and the 9th showed 58.7% support with 25.6% against. The poll had a smaller response rate of slightly over 1,000. Meanwhile, an earlier JNN poll from February 1st and 2nd showed a whopping 65% support in a survey of 1,010 people.
The latest poll is from ANN, conducted on the 22nd and 23rd (a day ago). It shows approval of the joint Innovation-LDP-Komeito plan garnering 57%. The poll had 1,034 respondents out of 2,632 surveyed.
Making schooling cheaper
The current change is one of many aimed at making it easier to raise kids in Japan, which some politicians hope can help counter population decline. There are other proposals – and a lot of local action in municipalities across Japan – to make school lunches free. Japan has already passed a proposal to make school lunches free for elementary school kids starting in 2026.
The question, of course, is how to pay for these proposals. It’s not shocking to see people resisting higher taxes. Japan is currently beset by a tide of rising prices. Bad crops have also led to sharp increases in staple foods such as rice and even cabbage.
Some cities are finding unique ways to claw back funding. Gujo in Gifu Prefecture funded school lunches, for example, by ending cash awards given to seniors who make it to age 100.
For its part, the Innovation Party wants to reduce overall taxpayer burden by lowering health care premiums for Japanese citizens and residents. The coalition parties are still working on a plan that would take effect in 2026.
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