NEW YORK (Kyodo) When students enter Keiko Takenaka's 10th-grade classroom, they say "ohayo" (good morning), but taking their seats, they chat among themselves in a mixture of English and Spanish until class begins.

At New Heights Academy, a charter school in upper Manhattan, the students are part of a unique program where Japanese is the only foreign language offered.

Despite having many language options, school administrators said they chose Japanese to expose students to a language and culture that would broaden their worldview.