Abstract
Recently foreign nationals who visit Japan have increased in number every year with the rise of international exchange, whereby the number of foreign nationals who stay in Japan for a long time also have increased. And the education of foreign worker's children is posing serious problems for Japan. Especially, Nisei and Sansei-Long Term Residents from Brazil, Peru and other countries have rapidly increased since the amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (enforced from June 1, 1990). It is not commonly accepted that foreign nationals have 'the legal right to receive education', but it is desirable to make effort for guarantee of their educational opportunity. The International Covenant on Human Rights (Covenant A) recognizes 'the legal right to receive education' as an individual, and on this legal ground, our public shools allow to entrance into schools with free fees and textbooks for foreign workers' children by their intentions. The education of Korean's children in Japan receives the same treatments for Japanese children under the provisons of the Japan-Korea Agreement on the Legal Status. And this provisions can be applied to all other foreign worker's children. To our regret, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has adapted more passive attitude to deal these ploblems. The local self-governing bodies such as Tokyo, Ohsaka, Yokohama, Hamamatu and Mouka (Totigi) where have many foreign worker's children, make every effort to guarantee their educational opportunity, but it is hard to overcome these ploblems without national sopport. Attitudes towards the educational needs of ethnic minority children have changed over the years, a new concept of education for a multi-ethnic society began to emerge in all the countries of the world. From now on, it is our serious ploblems to develop the education for ethnic minority children.
