On April 1, amendments to the High School Tuition Support Fund system came into force, eliminating income limits on eligibility. As a result, tuition support is now provided regardless of household income—up to JPY 118,800 per year per student for public high schools and up to JPY 457,200 for private high schools.
Efforts to support high school education—where the enrollment rate has reached approximately 98%—have long been implemented in stages by the national government and local authorities. With this revision, however, tuition costs are effectively waived for all students wishing to attend high school, irrespective of their family’s financial circumstances.
 

On April 7, the government approved amendments to the School Education Act and the Act on Free Distribution of Textbooks for Compulsory Education Schools. These revisions formally include digital textbooks in the national screening and approval system, allowing them to be distributed free of charge as official textbooks in elementary and junior high schools. The use of tablet-based learning materials has already been spreading under the Ministry of Education’s “GIGA School Program” (a national initiative to provide each student with a device and network access). However, until now, only printed materials have been officially recognized as textbooks. Going forward, digital textbooks will be treated as authorized materials, and even the external content—such as videos accessed via QR codes printed in textbooks—will be subject to government screening. The choice between print and digital formats will be left to local boards of education, with full implementation targeted for fiscal year 2030.
 

“Equality of opportunity” in access to high school education has already been achieved. As a result, the criteria for school selection are defined by factors such as educational distinctiveness, university placement rates, and facilities. Inevitably, private schools are better positioned in this regard, and—aside from a limited number of prestigious or integrated public schools—public institutions face a disadvantage. Competition for admission to popular schools is intensifying and beginning at younger ages, bringing with it new economic pressures on households.
Challenges also remain in the area of digitalization. In Finland, often regarded as a leader in digital education, a decline in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings has already prompted a shift back toward printed materials. Similarly, Singapore discontinued the distribution of personal learning devices to elementary school students in 2023, citing concerns over impacts on physical and mental development, as well as reduced concentration.
 

Under-enrollment in public high schools has become a serious issue, particularly in rural areas where it is accelerating school consolidation and closures. Meanwhile, expanded tuition support for private schools—over 40% of which reportedly operate at a deficit—effectively functions as a form of indirect promotional support, further distorting the supply-demand balance in urban education markets.
There is broad consensus on the importance of ensuring access to education for all. However, current policy discussions appear overly focused on “reducing household burden” and “equalizing financial support.” The long-term vision for public education itself remains insufficiently addressed.
The same can be said for textbook digitalization. Paperless textbooks and computer science education are fundamentally different issues. Further discussion is needed not only on the effective use of IT in education, but also on how education systems should evolve to cultivate future IT talent.
 

Takashi Mizukoshi, the President
This Week’s Focus, March 29 – April 9, 2026