LDP, Komeito, JIP Agree on Free High School; Plan would Abolish Income Limits for Aid

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:16 JST, February 22, 2025

The policy research council chairs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Komeito and the opposition Japan Innovation Party substantially agreed on Friday to revise the government’s fiscal 2025 draft budget, with a focus on making high school education free of charge. The party leaders are expected to meet on Tuesday to sign the agreement document.

Although the LDP-Komeito coalition lacks a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, the JIP is expected to vote for the draft budget, and it is almost certain to pass the lower house.

The LDP and Komeito are also willing to accelerate talks with the Democratic Party for the People about the revision of the ¥1.03 million threshold for taxable income to gain more support for the draft budget.

Under the current system for high school tuition, households below a certain income level receive annual assistance of ¥118,800 per student, regardless of whether the student’s school is public or private. For households below another income level, if the student attends a private school, an additional allowance is provided. The maximum total amount of the two forms of assistance is currently ¥396,000.

According to the agreement among the LDP, Komeito and the JIP, the income limit for the ¥118,800 assistance will be abolished starting from April. The income limit for the additional private high school assistance will also be abolished from fiscal 2026, and the maximum total amount of aid will be raised to ¥457,000 a year under the parties’ agreement.

Aid for high school students from low-income families and aid to improve the facilities of public vocational high schools will also be increased, the agreement states. Free lunch will be provided at elementary school from fiscal 2026 while it will also be achieved at middle school “as soon as possible.”

Komeito, which is bitterly at odds with the JIP in Osaka Prefecture, considers it important to reach an agreement over the draft budget with the DPFP. The LDP and Komeito are prepared to compromise as much as possible to achieve the agreement with the DPFP, which argues that the taxable income threshold must be raised from ¥1.03 million to ¥1.78 million. The talks among the three parties will likely intensify.