Public Japanese Language School Opens in Miyagi Pref.; Authorities Seek to Preserve Local Agriculture Industry

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:31 JST, March 24, 2025

OSAKI, Miyagi — The opening ceremony for the public Japanese language school was held in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Monday.

Osaki City Japanese Language School is the only public school accredited as an institution of Japanese language education by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. The system for certifying such schools was established by the ministry this fiscal year.

The school is expected to work in partnership with the prefecture and local businesses to develop foreign human resources who will play an active role in the local community after their graduation.

A total of 28 initial students from Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia will study at the school. They will seek to acquire Japanese language abilities equivalent to level N2 on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, meaning they can understand news reports and other such content.

The entrance ceremony will be held on April 10. The school is located in a renovated elementary school building and includes a place of worship for Muslims.

The opening of the school was prompted by concerns that agriculture and other local industries will be unsustainable due to the declining birthrate and aging population.

Elderly residents accounted for 32.1% of the population of the city, located in the northwestern part of the prefecture, as of the end of March last year. This was above the prefectural average at 29.5%.

The city and the prefecture have worked to open the school as part of efforts to revitalize the region, as the population decline shows no signs of stopping.