Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike expressed the city’s intention to make high school tuition in the area free of charge for all students, regardless of their family income, during a meeting of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Monday.
“Within the current environment, child-rearing families face many worries, including feeling anxious about the future,” Koike said. “By doing something drastic, such as making high school tuition effectively free of charge or reducing the burden of school lunches, we are aiming to fully support child-rearing families in a swift manner.”
Under the current system, for families who reside in Tokyo with an annual income of less than ¥9.1 million, a national fund offers a subsidy of up to ¥118,800 for students in public schools and, combined with the aid from the city, offers up to ¥475,000 for students in private schools — essentially making high school tuition free for low income households.