Mathematics textbooks for elementary school children in English released by two major publishers in Tokyo have drawn attention from overseas academics impressed by the way Japanese kids are taught the subject.
Tokyo Shoseki Co. in February published 5,000 sets of its English math textbook series for students from first to sixth grades, while Gakko Tosho Co. published 3,000 sets of its textbook series in April 2005.
Tokyo Shoseki said it has sold nearly 700 sets so far to people and organizations, including in the United States. Gakko Tosho's initial run has sold out, with one-third of the sets going to other countries for study by academics.