Foreign students who needed Japanese classes in primary and secondary public schools hit a record 29,198 last year, up 2,185 from two years ago, a government survey showed Friday.
If the biennial survey is accurate, the number of foreign residents in Japan might have rebounded after declining from the 2008 global financial crisis and the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, an education ministry official said.
As of May 1, those who were receiving Japanese language training were limited to 82.9 percent of the total, down 3.7 points from the previous survey.
Arrangements to support students from abroad have failed to match the surge, the official said.
"The ministry will take countermeasures including the assignment of more supporters," the official said.
The most common mother tongue for children from abroad was Portuguese, accounting for 28.6 percent, followed by Chinese (22.0 percent), Tagalog (17.6 percent ) and Spanish (12.2 percent).
By prefecture, Aichi accounted for the largest number of foreign students at 6,373, followed by Kanagawa with 3,228, Shizuoka with 2,413 and Tokyo with 2,303.
By school type, 18,884 were in elementary school, 7,809 in junior high and 2,272 in high school.
The number of schools accommodating such students meanwhile climbed to 6,137, up by 373.
In the meantime, Japanese students who were in need of Japanese classes shot to a record 7,897, up 1,726. They include returnees from abroad and Japanese offspring from international marriages.