Japan Times: International kids to get free school
A nonprofit group promoting multiculturalism will open a free school next month in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, for foreign children or Japanese children who have a limited command of the Japanese language due to being raised by non-Japanese parents, group officials said Saturday. The Center for Multicultural Information & Assistance took the step to help children aged 16 or older who do not qualify for the free public education and those who have trouble adjusting to Japanese schools after finishing junior high school overseas, they said. Because of their poor command of Japanese, these children often end up failing high school entrance exams or even becoming socially withdrawn, the officials said. "We want the children to maximize their talents to triumph in their lives, even though it seems difficult now," said Wang Huijin, the group's representative.