Earlier this month, while her husband, the president of the United States, met with other world leaders at the G20 summit, Michelle Obama visited a school for "disadvantaged" girls in North London and was moved to tears by the students' hard work and talent. In an emotional speech, she hailed the young women as the future of the world and identified with them, pointing out that she herself was not raised "with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of."
The visit received a lot of coverage in the West but very little here in Japan, which didn't strike me as being noteworthy until I read an article in the Sankei Shimbun about a growing trend. In March, four high schools in Saga Prefecture withheld diplomas from graduating students who were delinquent in their tuition payments. A prefectural official said he wanted the students' parents "to fulfill their responsibilities." The article mentioned that similar measures have been taken by high schools in Yamanashi, Yamaguchi and Nagano prefectures.
High school is not compulsory in Japan, and even public high schools require tuition fees. In Tokyo, students have to pay a little more than ¥10,000 a month to attend public high schools. That may not sound like much, but they also have to take a test to get into these schools. If they fail and want to continue their education then they have to attend a private high school, which are, needless to say, more expensive than public high schools — and easier to get into. Basically, all you have to do is pay.