Published on October 23, 2026. The images in this article are AI generated illustrations.
On October 19, the Jiji news agency revealed the scale of a quiet but historic shift: Japan's education ministry is preparing a massive expansion of Japanese language teaching for foreign residents, with 11.3 billion yen requested for fiscal 2027, about four times the previous year's budget. On the menu: preparatory classes for freshly arrived children, more than a thousand additional teachers, and an unprecedented program for adults, which the government is considering making a mandatory step in the residence permit process. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026, see source)
The plan lands at a moment when the foreign presence in the archipelago is reaching unprecedented highs. At the end of June 2026, Japan counted 4,281,026 foreign residents, a new record according to Immigration Services Agency figures presented by the justice minister. At the end of 2025, the 4.12 million mark had already been crossed, up 9.5% over one year. (Source : Immigration Services Agency, moj.go.jp, official page consulted in October 2026, see source ; BBC, bbc.com, October 1, 2026, see source)
A state plan prepared since the summer
On August 28, 2026, the education ministry released a « comprehensive support package for Japanese language education » (日本語教育支援総合パッケージ), intended to build an « orderly society of coexistence ». The document draws on the June report of an expert committee on the education of foreign children as well as on the government's main economic policy guidelines for 2026. (Source : Ministry of Education, mext.go.jp, August 28, 2026, see source ; ReseEd, reseed.resemom.jp, September 2, 2026, see source)
Its finding is stark: the number of primary and secondary school students who need Japanese language classes has roughly doubled in nine years. According to the ministry's annual survey published in May 2026, they numbered 84,759 in 2025, a record, and more than 10% of them received no language support at all, for lack of means and staff. (Source : Ministry of Education, mext.go.jp, May 25, 2026, see source ; Jiji, jiji.com, May 25, 2026, see source)
For children: preparatory classes and a thousand more teachers
The first pillar of the plan: helping the youngest even before they enter school. The ministry will financially support the local governments that open preparatory classes for children about to enter primary or junior high school, to learn the basics of Japanese and discover school life. About 40 municipalities located in areas with large foreign populations will be selected on application, with a subsidy covering operating costs, instructors' pay included. The pilot projects will then serve to develop operational manuals and course materials. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
The state is also committing human resources: from fiscal 2027, more than 1,000 additional teachers in charge of Japanese language instruction will join the scheme whose salaries are partially covered by national finances. « We want to create an environment where students can receive teaching that meets a certain standard, wherever they are in the country », summarized a senior ministry official. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
For adults: learning Japanese before even arriving
The second pillar, the most innovative one: a program for adults residing in Japan on a medium or long term basis, which will blend language and daily life skills. Designed with the Justice Ministry, it plans for participants to follow online videos even before entering Japan, or right after arrival, to acquire survival Japanese and learn the country's rules and customs. Comprehension would then be assessed. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
The government is even studying making the completion of this program a condition for approving residence permit applications. A reform that would directly concern anyone planning to settle in Japan. The ministry will also publish, from fiscal 2027, guidelines for Japanese classes run by municipalities: according to an official survey, about 40% of municipalities had set up no such classes at the end of fiscal 2024. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
A budget paid for by residence fees
A telling detail: this plan will be financed by the higher fees paid by foreigners. The reform that took effect on October 1 raised the cost of changing or renewing a residence status, previously fixed at 6,000 yen in all cases, to between 10,000 and 75,000 yen depending on the duration requested, and that of a permanent residency application from 10,000 to 200,000 yen, twenty times more. Permanent residency applications now come with new requirements in terms of income, pension and Japanese level. Queues of more than seven hours were observed outside the Tokyo immigration office in the week before the increase. (Source : BBC, bbc.com, October 1, 2026, see source ; The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
« Offering Japanese language teaching is a policy that also benefits foreign nationals. We want to make maximum use of this increased revenue », a senior ministry official explained. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 19, 2026)
Further reading: Japan moves 20,000 work visa slots to foreign care workers, our October 23 article.
A political context under pressure
This educational offensive fits within the policy of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who came to power in October 2025 and has made immigration management one of her priorities. She has committed to finalizing by March 2027 the country's basic policy for welcoming foreign residents, while her government is even studying the idea of capping immigration. (Source : The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp, October 13, 2026, see source)
The government's message comes down to one equation: foreign workers are indispensable in the face of population aging, but their integration must be supervised, and language is the key. The statistics published on October 16 confirm this: while the total number of foreign residents breaks records, the number of business manager visa holders has fallen sharply following the tightening of criteria that took effect one year earlier. (Source : Kyodo, nippon.com, October 16, 2026, see source)
Key takeaways
For future residents, and in particular for anyone preparing a move to Japan, this plan is a game changer. Learning Japanese will no longer be just a personal asset: the government could make it a formal step in the settlement process, assessed online even before departure. For families already on site, the arrival of preparatory classes and a thousand additional teachers should reduce the inequalities between municipalities, which are currently large. And for long time learners, this policy confirms a deep trend: in Japan, mastering the language is becoming, year after year, a condition of staying rather than just a pleasure.
Sources
- The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp : « Japan to expand language education for foreign residents », October 19, 2026, see source
- Ministry of Education, mext.go.jp : « 日本語教育支援総合パッケージ »取りまとめ, August 28, 2026, see source
- Ministry of Education, mext.go.jp : survey on the acceptance of students requiring Japanese language instruction, fiscal 2025 results, May 25, 2026, see source
- Jiji Press, jiji.com : « 要日本語指導、過去最多を更新 公立学校の児童生徒 », May 25, 2026, see source
- Immigration Services Agency, moj.go.jp : foreign resident population as of the end of June 2026, official press release consulted in October 2026, see source
- Jiji Press, news.yahoo.co.jp : « 在留外国人、過去最多４２８万人＝新規入国減少 », October 16, 2026, see source
- Kyodo News, nippon.com : « 在留外国人増、6月末428万人 最多更新、厳格化で「経営」激減 », October 16, 2026, see source
- BBC News, bbc.com : « Japan raises permanent residency fee by 20 times », October 1, 2026, see source
- ReseEd, reseed.resemom.jp : « 文科省「日本語教育支援総合パッケージ」公表 », September 2, 2026, see source
- The Japan Times, japantimes.co.jp : « Takaichi to finalize Japan's foreign resident policy by March », October 13, 2026, see source
