Native English Teachers to Work at All Kindergartens in Tokyo’s Minato Ward

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:12 JST, May 1, 2024

Native English teachers will work at all municipal kindergartens in Tokyo’s Minato Ward as part of an expansion of a language project.

Foreign native English teachers will be hired through an agency and work at the schools for 6 hours a day and three days a week, and children will play house and other games with them.

The project, the first of its kind in Tokyo, is aimed at fostering international understanding by providing children with opportunities to learn English and get to know foreigners from a young age, ward officials said.

The project was launched at Takanawa Kindergarten and Azabu Kindergarten on an experimental basis, and received positive evaluations from parents and others, saying that children were trying to communicate with the teachers on their own and enjoying learning English.

The ward office then decided to expand the project to all 12 municipal kindergartens from May.