Mar 18 (NHK) - Japan's education ministry says it wants to find out how many foreign national children are living in the country but not enrolled in schools.
Education through junior high school level is compulsory for Japanese citizens, but optional for foreign nationals.
Ministry officials say around 84,700 foreign children were enrolled in either primary or junior high school in Japan as of May, 2018. But they say they do not know how many children are living in the country without attending school.
The government plans to work with local authorities to find out, and to determine how they can help such children attend schools. It plans to start the survey by around June.
