Japanese children make up over 50% of students at Indian int'l school in Tokyo. Here's why

The Mainichi

05-05-2025

TOKYO -- The majority of students at an Indian international school in Tokyo are Japanese, and behind the school's popularity are its educational programs and tuition fees that are less expensive compared to other international schools.
One recent afternoon, on the body of a bus that had stopped in the Harumi district of Tokyo's Chuo Ward, an area crowded with high-rise apartments, were letters in English that read, "Global Indian International School." This is a bus for students at the school located in Edogawa Ward.
Global Indian International School (GIIS) was originally established for the children of Indians working in Japan, but most of the children alighting from the bus were Japanese, returning home with parents or caretakers.
GIIS has become popular among those living in high-rise buildings in Tokyo's waterfront area, with Japanese now making up more than half of the student body. What has driven this rapid growth in popularity?
From 1 campus to 4
GIIS opened its first campus in Japan in 2006 in Edogawa Ward's Nishi Kasai area with a significant Indian population. Initially, Indian students were the majority, but in the 2021 school year, the ratio reversed, with Japanese students going on to make up about 55% of overall students in the 2024 school year. Indian students accounted for around 35% of the total, with children from various backgrounds, including Chinese, South Korean and Russian, also attending.
The number of campuses within the ward has grown from one to four. Currently, some 1,400 students aged between 3 and 18, equivalent to Japan's kindergarten through high school, attend GIIS.
Principal Madhu Khanna explained about the popularity, "We have a growing number of students coming from the Tokyo Bay area including Toyosu and Harumi. This is because these areas attract expatriates, global minded local families, and also they have key residential locations for the student community. These areas are easily reachable to our school (by bus)."
All classes in English
At GIIS, all classes are conducted in English. When Mainichi Shimbun reporters visited a fifth-grade math class, the screen displayed, "Express the decimal 3.948 in words," with four options provided below.
An Indian teacher encouraged the students to answer, saying, "Tell me which is the correct answer. Come on, I want more hands up!" prompting children to eagerly raise their hands.
Indian education is known for its strong emphasis on mathematics, such as students easily handling two-digit multiplication, and GIIS also places a high priority on education in math and science from an early age.
In addition to English, students can choose from French, Chinese, Hindi and Tamil as a second language class.
GIIS also offers online programming lessons with teachers at its headquarters in Singapore, using specialized software, as well as unique classes that reflect its Indian heritage, such as instruction on playing the traditional Indian drum "tabla" and lessons on how to do the "Bharatanatyam" classical Indian dance.
Student Yume Yoneda, 11, told the Mainichi in English, "For GIIS, I love the part that there's many things, and the organization is very good." She added, "When I become older, my dream is to go around the world, so I think there is a good point to be in this school."
Another student Sota Kimura, 10, who hopes to attend a foreign university, also shared his aspirations in English, "I want to be a scientist. So I want to learn mathematics and science more."
Global standard curricula
Being able to choose from a variety of international curricula tailored to each family's educational philosophy and the child's interests and strengths seems to be another reason for GIIS's popularity. Interest among Japanese parents surged with the phased introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB), a globally common educational program, starting in 2018.
Graduates gain eligibility to take university entrance exams specialized in IB both domestically and internationally. They can also apply to multiple Japanese public universities that offer entrance exams specifically for IB graduates.
Students can also pursue the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), an international qualification that certifies the completion of secondary education. In addition to the two major international education curricula, IB and IGCSE, GIIS is recognized by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as offering an equivalent qualification to Japanese high schools, making domestic university entrance exams an option as well.
The Indian curriculum, known as the Central Board of Secondary Education, is also available. It emphasizes critical thinking, entrepreneurship and innovation, aiming to equip students with the skills needed to tackle global challenges.
Students' future paths are diverse. About 60% choose to attend universities in Japan, with top students entering prestigious institutions like Waseda, Keio and Sophia universities. Others opt for universities abroad such as in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, with a track record of admissions to prestigious institutions such as Boston University and the University of Manchester.
'Affordable' tuition also attracts parents
According to GIIS, many of the students' parents are entrepreneurs, Japanese who have worked abroad, or individuals involved in jobs with strong international connections, such as foreign-affiliated companies and IT firms.
The ability to easily transfer children to international schools in other countries if parents are relocated abroad, coupled with the hope that their children will succeed overseas in the future, also apparently contributes to the school's popularity.
Principal Khanna emphasized that GIIS focuses on programs that develop children's communication and thinking skills and problem-solving abilities, adding, "More and more Japanese parents are recognizing the benefits of an international education, particularly its emphasis on English language proficiency, critical thinking, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and global perspectives which bring the students global aspects of things." Parents apparently "put a child in an international school so that the child is well prepared for the global future market."
Another attractive aspect is the cost. GIIS tuition fees include a registration fee of 40,000 yen (about $280) and annual tuition starting at approximately 1.2 million yen (around $8,400) for elementary students. In contrast, tuition fees for other international schools in Tokyo, especially those with Western affiliations, typically range from 2 million to 3 million yen (roughly $14,000 to $20,000) a year, making GIIS relatively affordable for many parents.
GIIS operates 64 schools across 11 countries, including South Korea, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Malaysia. The group has successfully reduced costs by streamlining operations across its network.
A 33-year-old company worker living in Harumi has enrolled her eldest daughter, now 4, in nursery classes at GIIS since 2024. Having studied at a high school in the United States and frequently traveling overseas for work, she wanted her daughter to learn English from an early age. She appreciates the system to progress internally through high school, freeing her from the stress of entrance exams.
"I want to provide diverse options so that after high school graduation, she can consider studying abroad," the mother said.
Liu Xihe, a 40-year-old company employee from China also residing in Harumi, has been sending his 8-year-old eldest son to GIIS for three years. He explained, "Compared to American international schools, the tuition is affordable, making it manageable for a salaried family like ours. At the same time, I feel that the school has a strong focus on math and science, offering good value for cost."
Liu's son attends a cram school to study subjects covered in Japan's compulsory education, such as Japanese language and math, and he apparently speaks English, Japanese and Chinese in daily life.
However, not everyone can enroll in GIIS. Entrance exams assess age-appropriate English proficiency and understanding of mathematics from the preschool stage, with science added to the exams from the sixth grade. The school says that it evaluates whether students can adapt to an international learning environment and whether parents align with the school's philosophy.
Despite concerns about Japan's rapidly aging population and the declining birth rate, Principal Khanna said that GIIS has positioned Japan as a country with future growth potential in its management strategy.
"The decline of the birth rate may lead to higher per-child investment. So international education will become more attractive to parents," she said. "At the same time, there will be increased foreign workforce mobility and government policy to support foreign residents and even invites for foreign students to study in local universities. So this will most likely boost the demand for international schools. We see this as an opportunity to expand our offerings while maintaining affordability to local Japanese parents."