As China and India increasingly flex their muscles as economic powerhouses, many Japanese parents are beginning to send their children to international schools run by Chinese and Indian educators with hopes of churning out more competitive kids.
Experts say that Japanese parents are eager to send their kids to such schools because they think that giving their kids opportunities to learn about Chinese and English at an early stage will be a big plus for their futures.
"Learning the language and culture of China and India will help those children network with the same generation of Chinese and Indians in future business environments," said Shoichi Ito, an economics professor at Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo Prefecture. "You see many Chinese and Indians in ASEAN regions, and they are everywhere in the world."