Japan is experiencing varying impacts on private high school applications as the government plans to expand its 'tuition-free' initiative, particularly affecting regions like Osaka and Tokyo.
As Japan prepares to expand its 'tuition-free' high school initiative, the application trends among students for private schools are showing varied results based on local circumstances. In Osaka, there has been a significant increase in the number of students aiming for private high schools, with recent data indicating that 29.74% of students from public middle schools have chosen private institutions as their first option in the upcoming 2026 entrance exams, an increase from 25.97% two years prior. This change is attributed to Osaka's unique approach of implementing a zero-burden initiative for parents without income restrictions, which is set to fully roll out by 2026. In contrast, the demand for public school placements is on the decline, suggesting a direct impact from the tuition-free policies.
