You Can Still Attend Junior High Past 15: Japan’s 69 Night Junior High Schools

Japan has public junior high schools that hold classes in the evening. Known as "night junior high schools" (夜間中学, yakan chugaku), there are, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), 69 of them nationwide as of April 2026. They are schools where people who passed age 15 without completing compulsory education can study the junior-high-school curriculum again, regardless of age or nationality.

Below is what we confirmed in September 2026 from the law (via e-Gov Japanese Law Search), MEXT materials and surveys, and the guidance of the cities of Yokohama, Tokyo, and Hiroshima. Whether you can enroll is decided by the local government that operates the night junior high school; this article does not make that determination for individual cases.

A 2016 Law Made It a Municipal Duty

According to a MEXT survey report, night junior high schools began in the late 1940s (early Showa 20s), after World War II, for children who had no choice but to work during the day to support themselves. Today, they are described as places for people such as the following to study.

• People who passed compulsory-school age (6–15) without completing compulsory education
• People who graduated junior high school without receiving a sufficient education, due to non-attendance or similar reasons
• Foreign nationals who could not receive a sufficient compulsory education, either in their home country or in Japan

The basis for this is the Act on Securing Educational Opportunities Equivalent to Compulsory Education (Act No. 105 of Heisei 28 [2016], promulgated on 12/14/2016). Article 14 provides that, given that many people who missed the chance to attend school past compulsory-school age wish for that opportunity, local public bodies shall take measures such as providing schooling opportunities at "schools that hold classes at night or at other special times." This chapter took effect on the date of promulgation.

The Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education, adopted by the Cabinet in June 2023, calls for encouraging every prefecture and government-designated city to have at least one night junior high school.

Enrollment Conditions Are Set by the Local Government That Operates the School

Who a night junior high school is for, and how to enroll, is decided by the city, town, ward, or prefecture that operates it. Three examples confirmed in September 2026 are as follows.

None of these examples lists nationality or status of residence among the published conditions. Setagaya Ward states that anyone past 15 can consult about enrolling, "regardless of age or nationality." MEXT’s Guidance for Establishing and Enhancing Night Junior High Schools [Handbook] (3rd revised edition) also states that, in light of international human rights covenants, ensuring foreign nationals the same educational opportunity at night junior high schools as Japanese nationals is required. Ask the board of education, when you consult, whether your status of residence or resident registration will need to be confirmed.

Whether you can attend a night junior high school outside the city, town, or ward you live in also depends on the local government. In MEXT’s fiscal year 2024 survey, 37 of the 45 city- and ward-run schools accepted people living outside the city or ward that operated them, while 8 were limited to residents of that city or ward.

For People Who Have Already Graduated Junior High School Once

In a notice dated July 30, 2015, MEXT set out the view that, for people who graduated junior high school without effectively receiving a sufficient compulsory education — due to non-attendance or similar reasons — ("applicants who have already graduated and wish to enroll"), it is desirable to check their circumstances and then admit them according to the school’s capacity to accept students. It also states that whether to allow enrollment is best judged based on each person’s individual circumstances, rather than a uniform standard such as the number of days attended.

There is no uniform rule in national materials on whether someone who completed nine years of schooling at a school overseas can enroll at a night junior high school. If you completed 9th grade in Ukraine, that corresponds to the eligibility to enter a Japanese high school (see our article on high school entrance exams for students from overseas). If you’re considering a night junior high school to relearn Japanese or school subjects, consult the board of education first as well. Children up to age 15 generally belong in a daytime elementary or junior high school (our article on the school history and documents families can prepare before enrolling in a Japanese school).

Tuition Is Free, and Graduating Means Graduating Junior High School

Because a night junior high school is a public junior high school, there is no tuition (School Education Act, Article 6). According to MEXT’s guidance, classes are held five days a week, taught by teachers holding a junior-high-school teaching license, and completing the full curriculum results in junior-high-school graduation. In Hiroshima’s example, classes run from around 5:30 p.m. to around 9 p.m. on weekdays, and, depending on academic ability, a student can start from second or third grade. Both Setagaya Ward and the City of Hiroshima state that actual costs such as course materials are the student’s own expense.

A March 2017 revision to the Enforcement Regulation of the School Education Act made it possible for night junior high schools to organize a "special curriculum" suited to the age and experience of students who have passed compulsory-school age. This lets a school cover some elementary-school content at the junior-high level, in which case elementary-school textbooks are also provided free of charge (per MEXT’s handbook). Some night junior high schools in Tokyo also offer a "Japanese-language class" that starts from studying Japanese.

On the financial side, MEXT’s fiscal year 2024 survey found that 35 of the 47 prefectural and city/ward boards of education operating night junior high schools provided "financial assistance similar to school-attendance assistance." The conditions for eligibility differ by local government.

Who Is Studying There

According to MEXT’s "Fiscal Year 2024 Survey on the Actual Status of Night Junior High Schools and Related Matters" (as of May 1, 2024, covering the 53 schools that existed at the time), night junior high schools had 1,969 students, up from 1,558 in the previous survey (2022). The average per school was 37.2 students.

Among students without Japanese nationality, the largest countries or regions of origin were China (358) and Nepal (288), together more than half. Ukraine does not appear as a separate country name in the survey’s table (whether it is included under "other" is unclear). Among reasons given for enrolling by students without Japanese nationality, "to become able to speak Japanese" was the most common at 508 (40.4%), followed by "to enter high school" at 238 (18.9%) and "to become able to read and write" at 228 (18.2%). Among students with Japanese nationality, "applicants who have already graduated and wish to enroll" — those who could not study sufficiently due to non-attendance or similar reasons before graduating — make up 559 (78.4%).

Of the 309 people who graduated in fiscal year 2023, 193 (62.5%) went on to high school or similar. Among graduates without Japanese nationality, this was 145 out of 216.

Where Are the 69 Schools

According to MEXT’s list (as of April 2026), there are 69 night junior high schools nationwide, in 35 prefectures. Seven schools were added in April 2026 — in Tochigi, Fukui, Aichi (3 schools), Wakayama, and Oita — up from 62 as of 10/2025. One of the 69, Sango-sha Schole Higashiomote Junior High School in Okinawa Prefecture, is a private school run by an educational corporation.

The same list states that openings are planned for fiscal year 2027 in the city of Aomori (Aomori Prefecture), Yamagata Prefecture, the city of Niigata, Toyama Prefecture, and the town of Karuizawa (Nagano Prefecture), and for fiscal year 2028 in Yamanashi Prefecture.

For places with no nearby night junior high school, MEXT, in an administrative communication from January 2025, suggests that a municipality without one could ask a municipality that has one to accept its residents, bearing part of the cost. There are also "self-organized night junior high schools" and literacy classes run by volunteers and others; MEXT’s fiscal year 2024 survey identified 632 of these nationwide (45 self-organized night junior high schools and 587 literacy classes and similar). These are not schools, so attending one does not count as junior-high-school graduation.

Where to Consult

• The board of education of the city, town, or ward you live in. Even if there is no night junior high school there, they can tell you about a nearby school you could attend, or any acceptance arrangement in place.
• The night junior high school itself. MEXT’s "Status of Establishing and Considering Night Junior High Schools" page lists contact information for all 69 schools.

The City of Yokohama publishes its evening-class recruitment flyer in Japanese as well as English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Tagalog, Nepali, and Korean, but, as of September 2026, there is no Ukrainian-language version. Check with each board of education whether Ukrainian can be used at its consultation desk. Other places to learn Japanese are covered in our article on local Japanese classes and free Japanese-learning materials available in Ukrainian.