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Japan Makes High School Tuition Free, 35-Student Class Limit

TOKYO - A series of revised laws, including measures to make high school tuition free, were enacted in the Diet on March 31st, the final day of the fiscal year, with the changes set to take effect from April 1st.

The revised law aimed at eliminating high school tuition raises the maximum annual subsidy for households with students attending private high schools to 457,200 yen, and was passed in a plenary session of the House of Councillors with support from the ruling coalition and some opposition parties. In addition, legislation was approved to reduce the maximum number of students per class in public junior high schools from 40 to 35.

These measures will be implemented starting April 1st.

The Diet also passed tax reform-related legislation for the new fiscal year, which raises the so-called “annual income wall” from the current 1.6 million yen to 1.78 million yen.

Other measures include extending the eligibility period for housing loan tax deductions and removing age restrictions for the “tsumitate investment quota” under the NISA program.

Source: TBS

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