Education minister Hirofumi Hirano said Sunday during a visit to Shanghai that his ministry will consider supporting the Shanghai Japanese School's efforts to build new classrooms amid a surge in long-term Japanese residents in the city.

As of April, enrollment at Shanghai Japanese School had jumped by about 400 students over the previous year to 3,160 — making it the largest Japanese school overseas.

After establishing a high school in April last year, it became the only certified Japanese school overseas, but due to a shortage of classrooms, it is being forced to teach pupils in nearby rented commercial space.

Hirano, the education, culture, sports, science and technology minister, told reporters he will seriously consider a request from Consul General Hiroyasu Izumi in Shanghai to give support for the school's infrastructure.

Thanks to the strong yen and other factors, the number of long-term Japanese living in Shanghai has grown by more than 10 percent from a year ago to an estimated 56,000, according to the consulate general.