Japanese Students See Value in Cultural Understanding

Sep 03, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Nearly 60% of Japanese high school students consider learning about different cultures "very important," the highest proportion among Japan, the United States, China and South Korea, according to a survey released by the National Institution for Youth Education.

The independent administrative agency conducted the survey to compare high school students' attitudes toward culture across the four countries.

In Japan, 58.9% of respondents said that learning about cultures different from their own was "very important," the highest level among the four countries surveyed.

However, Japanese students showed varying levels of interest depending on the type of foreign culture involved.

Interest was relatively high in areas such as music and art, while subjects including history and literature attracted less attention. Only 26.9% expressed interest in history.

Japanese students also showed comparatively little enthusiasm for entertainment using virtual reality and other virtual environments.

Only 11.3% said they "very much like" games and other activities using VR or virtual spaces, the lowest proportion among the four countries.

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