Japan’s Immigration agency holds lessons for school children on how to coexist with foreigners

Children cheerfully answer a quiz given by the Immigration Services Agency at Zaike Elementary School in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Jan. 25, 2025. (Mainichi/Takuro Tahara)

The Japanese Immigration Agency has taken steps to teach Japanese children how to coexist with foreigners as the agency held a class at an elementary school here Jan. 25 to deepen children’s understanding of coexistence with foreigners.

Officials from the agency in Saitama were present at the Kawaguchi Municipal Zaike Elementary School told a class for fifth-and sixth-grade students to learn about the best ways to co-habit with foreigners.

During the lessons, officials informed the children that the number of foreigners residing in Japan grew by 1.4 million people between 2014 and 2024. They also explained that a “residence support” program to improve the environment for coexistence began in 2019.

The students practiced “easy Japanese,” which is recommended by the agency to be easily understood by foreigners. Agency officials urged the children to “use gestures without using difficult words.” As a specific example, they practiced replacing the phrase “please bring writing utensils,” with “bring a pencil and an eraser.