Editorial

15:00 JST, February 22, 2025

What kind of educational effects will there be if high school tuition is made free? If debates on such matters continue not to take place, it is inevitable that there will be criticism that this is just a handout policy aimed at winning votes.

Regarding an idea to make high school tuition free — a focus of discussion in the current Diet session — the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito plus the opposition Japan Innovation Party have effectively agreed to implement the policy from the new fiscal year for all households with high school students.

Under the current system, households with an annual income of lower than ¥9.1 million receive ¥118,800 per student per year, regardless of whether the student’s school is public or private. If the household’s annual income is less than ¥5.9 million and the student attends a private school, an additional allowance is........

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