Tokyo: an Essay and Interview. Kanagawa: Three Subjects. High School Entrance Exams for Students From Abroad

To enter a public high school in Japan, you usually take an entrance examination (入試). For a student who has only just begun learning Japanese, an exam covering the same five subjects Japanese middle schoolers take is a major barrier. For this reason, some prefectures have set up separate entrance exams, or accommodations within the regular exam, for students who need Japanese-language support. However, the name of the exam, who is eligible, and what the test covers all differ by prefecture.

What follows is based on materials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and on information for the 2027 (Reiwa 9) academic year entrance exams published by the boards of education of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Osaka Prefecture, confirmed in September 2026. Which exam your child can take is decided by the board of education of the prefecture where you live and the high school you apply to. Talk to your child’s middle school teacher or the board of education early on.

Completing 9 Years of Schooling in Ukraine Meets the Eligibility Requirement

Eligibility to enter high school is granted not only to those who have graduated from a Japanese middle school, but also to “a person who has completed a 9-year course of school education in a foreign country” (Ordinance for Enforcement of the School Education Act, Article 95, Item 1). Schools in Ukraine consist of 4 years of primary education and 5 years of basic secondary education, totaling 9 years (Law of Ukraine “On Education,” Article 12, Paragraph 3). Having completed grade 9 in Ukraine meets this requirement.

Eligibility is also granted to those who have passed the Examination for Certification of the Achievement of Programs Equivalent to Regular Course in Lower Secondary School (中学校卒業程度認定試験, Item 4 of the same article), and to those the high school itself recognizes as having academic ability equal to or greater than that of a middle school graduate (Item 5). Many students take the exam after enrolling in a Japanese middle school upon arrival in Japan and expecting to graduate from it. Enrolling in elementary and middle school is covered in School Records and Documents Families Can Prepare Before Entering a Japanese School.

The National Government Calls for Special Quotas and Exam Accommodations

MEXT’s “Guidelines on Promoting School Enrollment of Foreign Children and Understanding Their Enrollment Status” (July 1, 2020) calls on boards of education to advance measures such as setting special quotas for foreign students in public high school entrance exams, reducing the number of subjects tested, and adding furigana readings for kanji in exam questions.

For children who evacuated from Ukraine, a notice from the Vice-Minister for MEXT (April 18, 2022) calls for handling requests to transfer into high school and similar institutions “as flexibly as possible and accepting them promptly,” and calls for “appropriate and flexible handling” in transfer examinations as well.

How far this is actually being carried out can be seen in MEXT’s “Survey on the Status of Improvements to Public High School Entrance Examinations” (covering entrance exams in spring 2025, published December 2025, updated February 17, 2026). Of Japan’s 47 prefectures, 20 answered that they “have set” a special quota for foreign students. Even prefectures without such a quota sometimes offer accommodations such as furigana or extended exam time.

Examples From Three Prefectures

Tokyo: Entrance Exam for Foreign Students Residing in Tokyo

According to Tokyo’s 2027 implementation guidelines, applicants to this exam must need Japanese-language support, be born on or before April 1, 2012, not currently be enrolled in high school or the like, and meet one of the following.

• Regardless of nationality, is expected to complete, or has completed, a 9-year course of school education abroad by March 31, 2027
• Regardless of nationality, is expected to graduate, or has graduated, from a Japanese middle school by March 31, 2027, and has, in principle, been in Japan for 3 years or less as of the date of admission (counted as within 3 years if the date of entry into Japan is on or after January 1, 2024)
• Is of foreign nationality and is expected to complete, or has completed, a course at a foreign-nationals’ school in Japan equivalent to Japan’s 9 years of compulsory education
• Regardless of nationality, is expected to complete, or has completed, a course equivalent to the middle school division of a Japanese school abroad (日本人学校)

There are also residency conditions; applicants to full-time programs, for example, are generally required to live with a parent or guardian within Tokyo. Eligibility is confirmed before application. Application documents include a certificate of graduation or similar document showing completion of a 9-year course abroad.

The 12 schools offering this exam for April 2027 admission are Takedai, Tagara, Minamikatsushika, Fuchu Nishi, Asuka, Rokugo Technical, Suginami Sogo, Kokusai, Hitotsubashi, Asakusa, Ogikubo, and Sunagawa. Except for Kokusai High School, applications are on January 20–21, 2027, the test is on January 26, and results are announced on February 2. Kokusai High School follows a separate schedule, with its test on February 15.

The test consists of an essay and an interview, each of which can be taken in either Japanese or English. Furigana readings in hiragana are added to Japanese-language questions. The school principal may also administer an academic test if judged necessary. Because this exam takes place before the general entrance exam, applicants may still apply to the general exam afterward, but if they pass this exam, they cannot take any later exam (per the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education’s Q&A). The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to hold information and consultation sessions around October and November, and a preliminary eligibility check around December, at which interpreters in languages such as English and Chinese are provided.

There is also recruitment for September admission. This is for those who are expected to complete, or have completed, a 9-year course abroad between April 1 and August 31, 2027, among other conditions; applications are on July 1–2, 2027, the test is on July 8, and the participating schools are Takedai, Tagara, Minamikatsushika, Fuchu Nishi, Asuka, and Kokusai, 6 schools in total. Because the Ukrainian school year ends in summer, this may suit students coming to Japan after finishing grade 9.

Kanagawa Prefecture: Special Recruitment for Foreign Residents of the Prefecture

According to Kanagawa Prefecture’s 2027 recruitment guide, one of the eligibility requirements is “a total period of residence since entering Japan of 6 years or less (as of February 1, Reiwa 9 [2027]).” This means counting every day of residence in Japan from the age corresponding to first grade of elementary school onward, and the total must be 2,190 days (365 days × 6 years) or fewer.

The test consists of an academic exam in three subjects — English, Japanese (kokugo), and math — plus an interview. The questions are the same as in the general entrance exam, but furigana readings are added for this recruitment track. Scoring weights by school and the interview criteria are listed in the recruitment guide.

Applicants living outside the prefecture or abroad, or those living in the prefecture but not enrolled in a middle school, must submit an “application for approval of eligibility to apply” (志願資格承認申請) within a designated period. The prefecture announces it will hold an application-intake and consultation session for those needing an interpreter on November 28, 2026 at the Yokohama Nishi Public Hall. The interpreter languages planned include Chinese, Tagalog, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Korean, and Nepali; Ukrainian is not listed. The prefecture also states that, even outside this special recruitment track, people whose native language is not Japanese can apply for accommodations in how they take the general entrance exam.

Osaka Prefecture: Entrance Selection for Returnee and Foreign Students Needing Japanese-Language Support

Applicants to Osaka Prefecture’s selection process are, in principle, people who have returned from countries such as China, or who are of foreign nationality, and who first enrolled at grade 4 of elementary school or above, among other conditions. Applicants apply after undergoing review by the prefectural board of education and receiving a certificate of approval for eligibility to apply. The 8 participating schools for the 2027 academic year are Higashiyodogawa, Fukui, Kadoma Namihaya, Yao Kita, Seibi, Nagayoshi, Fuse Kita, and Osaka Wakaba (published June 15, 2026).

Because the 2027 implementation guidelines had not yet been published as of September 2026, the test content is explained here based on the most recently held 2026 academic year guidelines. The academic exam covers math and English, plus an essay. The essay can be written in a language other than Japanese, with the language used declared in advance. Furigana readings are added for kanji in the academic exam questions, and key terms in the essay topic are given with a foreign-language translation alongside them. Up to two foreign-language dictionaries may be brought in, and the time allowed for the academic exam is about 1.3 times that of the selection process using the same questions.

Separately from this selection process, Osaka Prefecture also offers accommodations available within the general entrance exam (extended exam time, bringing in a dictionary, furigana, and foreign-language translations alongside key terms). This track is, in principle, for those of foreign nationality or similar status who first enrolled at grade 1 of elementary school or above, and is arranged through the middle school.

What to Prepare by Fall

• Check the website of the board of education in your prefecture to see whether there is an entrance exam for students from abroad, and confirm its name and conditions
• Keep something showing your date of entry into Japan (such as a passport entry stamp) on hand. Kanagawa’s eligibility requirement, and the condition for Tokyo applicants graduating from a Japanese middle school, are both based on the number of years since entering Japan
• Gather documents showing what grade was completed in Ukraine. Completing a 9-year course affects eligibility to enter high school
• Note the dates of information sessions and preliminary eligibility checks; both are held well before the application period
• Let the school know if you need an interpreter, and ask whether a Ukrainian interpreter can be arranged

It also helps to know about financial support, such as the High School Enrollment Support Fund (高等学校等就学支援金), which covers public high school tuition. A legal amendment in April 2026 (an act partially amending the Act on Provision of High School Enrollment Support Fund, Reiwa 8 Act No. 8) removed the income cap on this support fund, replacing it with eligibility based on nationality and status of residence. For new students (other than international students) who are not eligible, national budget support has been set up. A 2022 MEXT notice calls for keeping in mind that, even when a student’s parents lived abroad the previous year and their taxable income cannot be confirmed, a mechanism exists to pay the standard amount of the enrollment support fund. Check with the school or the prefecture to find out whether you are eligible.

Private high school entrance exams are decided by each school individually. What is described here concerns public high schools and was confirmed in September 2026. Entrance exam systems are reviewed every year, so always check that academic year’s own recruitment guidelines.