Report: Toyoake City at the Forefront of Japanese-Language Education for Children from Multinational Backgrounds

Report: Toyoake City at the Forefront of Japanese-Language Education for Children from Multinational Backgrounds

 

 

As a reporter for Global Community, I visited Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture. The purpose of this visit was to express our appreciation to the Toyoake City Office, the Toyoake Plant of Fuji Pan Co., Ltd., and the certified nonprofit organization Plus Educate for their understanding of and active cooperation with the International Kouhaku Singing Festival in Toyoake City. At the same time, I interviewed local organizations about the current state of Japanese-language education and support for children from foreign backgrounds.

  

 

At the Toyoake City Office, our first destination, we learned about the city’s pioneering initiatives. Toyoake City regards guaranteeing educational opportunities for children with foreign roots as “a matter of course” and secures the necessary budget to promote Japanese-language education. Approximately 3,300 foreign nationals—about 5% of the city’s population—live in Toyoake. To ensure that children in the community receive equal educational opportunities, the city has introduced detailed measures, including a system that provides taxi transportation to designated elementary schools. According to what we heard, the mayor also expressed interest in initiatives such as the International Kouhaku Singing Festival in Toyoake City, recognizing them as opportunities to promote mutual understanding and interaction beyond communities based on country of origin. The mayor reportedly said that they would like to attend the event if their schedule allows.

 

 

We next visited the Toyoake Plant of Fuji Pan. Many employees of diverse nationalities, including Indonesian and Brazilian employees, work there. We witnessed a warm and welcoming attitude toward multicultural coexistence, with the company viewing it as something that concerns everyone personally and actively cooperating with local events and support activities. Posters for the International Kouhaku Singing Festival in Toyoake City were also displayed at supermarkets around Toyoake Danchi, an area where many foreign residents live, demonstrating that support for the event is spreading throughout the community.

 

 

The main focus of this visit was the certified nonprofit organization Plus Educate, chaired by Akiko Mori. There, we had the opportunity to observe an established track record built over more than ten years, as well as innovative educational support in practice. Commissioned by Toyoake City, the organization operates an intensive three-month program called the “Initial Japanese-Language Instruction Classroom.” The program provides four hours of instruction every day. Through original teaching materials incorporating illustrations and cartoons, as well as teaching methods that use gestures, children who have just arrived in Japan and initially cannot understand any Japanese have achieved remarkable progress. In only three months, they are able to participate in regular elementary school classes and converse in Japanese with their classmates.

The educational approach developed under the leadership of Ms. Mori over more than a decade has demonstrated impressive results. It has also expanded nationwide through speaking engagements requested by other local governments and model programs commissioned by high schools in other prefectures. In addition to providing direct instruction, Plus Educate offers a wide range of services, including training Japanese-language teachers, professional development for instructors, teaching materials, after-school learning support, and online classes. These initiatives help children learn Japanese in an enjoyable environment and build friendships with Japanese children as they participate in school life.

 

 

(The NPO’s office is located inside Toyoake Danchi, where many foreign residents live.)

The grassroots support system that began in Toyoake through cooperation among the local government, businesses, and an NPO has become a noteworthy example for municipalities across Japan that are home to many children from foreign backgrounds.

 

 

The network that grew out of a high school reunion eventually led to the International Kouhaku Singing Festival in Toyoake City. As two former classmates from Tenri High School who now live in Aichi Prefecture, we discussed making initiatives like this our lifelong work, and then left Toyoake City.

 

 

The International Kouhaku Singing Festival in Toyoake City will be held on November 15 with the sponsorship of Fuji Pan Co., Ltd.