A: Hey there! Guess what I just learned?
B: What's up, what did you find out?

A: It's about international schools in Tokyo. Can you believe it? Some local governments don't think students from these schools have finished the compulsory education!
B: Wow, really?! That sounds strange. Why is that so?

A: Well, these schools make their own curricula and teach classes in English or other languages. More Japanese kids are going to these schools in Tokyo and some urban areas. But here's the kicker - some wards don't consider them as having completed elementary or junior high school!
B: Which wards are we talking about? I know a few people who attend those schools.

A: Some of the big ones like Minato, Meguro, Shibuya, and Setagaya. If they go to international schools only, they can't get graduation status from these wards. But in other wards, they might if they also go to local schools and chat with school principals.
B: That's interesting. It seems like it depends on where you live.

A: Exactly! And get this - the central government doesn't consider many of these international schools as places that follow Japan's compulsory education system yet.
B: So, what do they think should happen?

A: The education ministry says local governments and schools should decide whether to grant graduation status since they know each student's situation best. An expert on education administration thinks the central government should clarify things and create guidelines for the local governments.
B: Seems like a complicated issue, but I hope they figure it out soon!
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NHK has found that Tokyo's 23 wards have different positions on the status of people who graduate from international schools in Japan. About half of the local governments do not consider such graduates as having completed the country's compulsory education system in line with official curriculum guidelines.



International schools in Japan are allowed to create their own curricula, with classes given in English or other non-Japanese languages.



The number of Japanese children attending these schools has been growing in Tokyo and other urban areas. NHK found that the figure has reached at least 4,800 in the capital's 23 wards.



NHK established that 11 of the wards do not consider international school graduates as having completed the compulsory education at elementary or junior high schools. The wards include Minato, Meguro, Shibuya and Setagaya.



More children in the 11 wards go to international schools than children in the other wards do. But ward officials say they cannot grant them graduation status unless the students also attend Japanese elementary or junior high schools.



For their part, the 12 other wards grant graduation status in some cases if, among other conditions, graduates also attend schools set up by the wards and undergo interviews with principals. The wards include Toshima, Suginami and Bunkyo.



The central government currently does not recognize many international schools as academic institutions where children can receive an education based on the country's compulsory education system.



The education ministry says boards of education and individual schools should decide whether to grant students graduation status as they are familiar with each child's circumstances.



Tohoku University Professor Aoki Eiichi, an expert on education administration, says he was surprised to learn that the wards have different positions.



He also says people in Tokyo have greater mistrust in public education than their counterparts in other parts of the country.



Aoki says the central government should get a clear picture of the issue surrounding the status of international school graduates and draw up guidelines to help local governments decide on how to approach the issue.