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Polls: Japan Approves of Free High School for All
While some far-right elements oppose the new measure as an additional tax burden, many in Japan seem to favor it.
By Jay Allen
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…
