From “Kokujikō” to Accredited Schools: The Japanese Language School Accreditation System That Began in 2024

You increasingly come across the term “accredited Japanese language education institution” (認定日本語教育機関) in Japanese language school materials. It is the name of a system, begun by a law that took effect on April 1, 2024, under which the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) accredits Japanese language schools. The same law also created a national qualification for people who teach Japanese, the “Registered Japanese Language Teacher” (登録日本語教員).

What follows was confirmed in September 2026 from the text of the law (via the e-Gov law search database) and published materials from MEXT, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), and the Agency for Cultural Affairs. This article does not cover how good or bad any particular school is, or whether you personally could enroll.

The Law’s Name and When It Began

Its official name is the “Act on the Accreditation of Japanese Language Education Institutions and Other Measures for Achieving Proper and Reliable Japanese Language Education” (日本語教育の適正かつ確実な実施を図るための日本語教育機関の認定等に関する法律, Act No. 41 of Reiwa 5 [2023]). According to MEXT, it was enacted in May 2023, promulgated on June 2, 2023, and took effect on April 1, 2024 (Supplementary Provisions, Article 1). MEXT abbreviates it as the “Japanese Language Education Institution Accreditation Act” (日本語教育機関認定法).

The law’s purpose is stated as establishing a system to accredit Japanese language education institutions that meet certain requirements, and a qualification for people teaching there, in order to create an environment in which foreign nationals living in Japan can carry on their daily and social lives smoothly (Article 1). From April 2024, the same month the law took effect, responsibility for Japanese language education moved from the Agency for Cultural Affairs to MEXT. We touch on older materials that still list an Agency for Cultural Affairs address in our article on local Japanese language classes and free Japanese learning materials available in Ukrainian.

What Is Required of an Accredited School

Accreditation is applied for by the establisher of a Japanese language education institution and granted by the Minister of MEXT (Article 2). What is reviewed is the institution’s teaching and administrative staff structure, its facilities and equipment, how its programs are organized and carried out, and its system for supporting students in their studies and daily life; detailed standards are set by a MEXT ministerial ordinance (認定日本語教育機関認定基準, the Accreditation Standards for Accredited Japanese Language Education Institutions, MEXT Ordinance No. 40 of Reiwa 5 [2023]). An accredited school is required to do the following:

• Publish, in Japanese, on the internet and elsewhere, basic information about the learning environment — course subjects and content, the number of students, teachers, and staff, tuition fees, and the like — and make an effort to also publish this in multiple foreign languages (Article 3)
• Have only Registered Japanese Language Teachers as the teachers in charge of its programs (Article 7; transitional measures apply until March 31, 2029)
• Inspect and evaluate its own provision of education, publish the results, and report to the Minister of MEXT every fiscal year (Articles 8 and 9)

The Minister of MEXT publishes the names, addresses, and other details of accredited schools in Japanese and multiple foreign languages (Article 2, Paragraph 5). A school that has not been accredited is prohibited from calling itself an “accredited Japanese language education institution” or using a confusingly similar name (Article 4). At the same time, according to explanatory materials from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a school that is not accredited can still teach Japanese.

The Three Programs: for Study, for Work, and for Daily Life

Accreditation is granted school by school, but the review is conducted separately for the “program for study,” the “program for work,” and the “program for daily life” (Agency for Cultural Affairs explanatory materials). The accreditation results MEXT publishes are also counted separately across these three programs.

The Relationship With “Kokujikō” Schools

Until now, Japanese language schools that accepted international students were institutions designated by a public notice from the Ministry of Justice, generally called “kokujikō” (告示校). As of September 2026, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) advises that to stay in Japan under the status of residence “Student” (留学) in order to study at a Japanese language school, you need to enroll either in a Japanese language education institution designated by Ministry of Justice notice or in an accredited Japanese language education institution.

According to Agency for Cultural Affairs explanatory materials (December 2023), for a kokujikō to continue accepting students under the “Student” status of residence, it must receive accreditation for its “program for study” by March 31, 2029. If the transition proceeds as described in these materials, then from April 2029 onward, whether a school is an accredited Japanese language education institution will be the benchmark when enrolling as an international student. You can check which category a school you are enrolling in falls under by asking the school and by checking the list of accredited schools on MEXT’s “Japanese Language Education Institution Accreditation Act Portal” (日本語教育機関認定法ポータル).

The level of Japanese ability required to enroll in a Japanese language school as an international student (such as N5 or above on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) is set out in the same ISA guidance. For the test itself, see our article on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

The Number of Schools Accredited So Far

MEXT announces accreditation results twice a year. As of September 2026, the results of four rounds have been published, as follows.

Adding up the four rounds gives 96 accredited institutions. This is, however, a total our editorial team calculated from the announcements, and it does not reflect any subsequent closures or changes. Most accreditations are for the program for study; the program for work accounts for 3 institutions combined, and no institution has yet been accredited for the program for daily life. The announcements also show that around half of applications are withdrawn partway through review.

The Registered Japanese Language Teacher and the Japanese Language Teacher Examination

To become a Registered Japanese Language Teacher, you must pass the Japanese Language Teacher Examination (日本語教員試験), complete practical training, and be registered by the Minister of MEXT (Article 17). The exam consists of a “basic examination” testing fundamental knowledge and skills and an “applied examination” testing their application, and is held at least once a year (Article 22). According to the FY2026 exam guide, there are no age, educational-background, or nationality requirements to sit for it.

The pass rate needs to be read with care. Of the 11,051 people who passed in FY2024, 5,958 were fully exempted from the exam under transitional measures, as current teachers and the like. Limited to the 3,947 people who took both the basic and applied examinations, only 366 passed (9.3%). MEXT explains that the transitional measures run, as a rule, through March 31, 2029, and through March 31, 2033 for graduates of certain training programs.

The FY2026 exam will be held on November 8, 2026. Online applications ran from July 13 to August 21 and have already closed. The exam fee for taking both the basic and applied examinations is ¥18,900.

Information Available When Looking for a School

A list of accredited Japanese language education institutions and information on each school is available on MEXT’s “Japanese Language Education Institution Accreditation Act Portal.” Tuition and admission requirements differ by school, so contact each school directly. Free local Japanese language classes and online materials are covered in our article on local Japanese language classes.