The Immigration law was revised in April 2019 to increase the number of non-Japanese workers, and there are now more than 2.9 million non-Japanese residents living in Japan (December 31, 2019). This number is expected to continue to increase. However, according to the current regulations, compulsory education is not mandatory for children of non-Japanese residents. As such, some non-Japanese children living in Japan do not attend school. In addition, the government authorities do not make sufficient effort to understand the gravity of this issue. In fact, according to the current situation, it is not an exaggeration to say that these children have been regarded as “invisible” children in society.
In 2019, a government-led national survey of non-Japanese children’s enrollment status has finally come to fruition. In this paper, a 20 year track record relating to this issue will be introduced. Based on the analysis made by using the above records, solutions to reduce low enrollment rates of non-Japanese students in compulsory education will be proposed.
