Tokyo public high schools: the April 2027 selection for students who arrived in Japan recently

Tokyo's metropolitan high schools run a separate selection for students who need Japanese-language support (在京外国人生徒等対象の選抜, zaikyō gaikokujin seito tō taishō no senbatsu, selection for foreign students living in Tokyo). The tests are a composition and an interview, and the student may choose Japanese or English for each.

Which schools

For April 2027 entry, twelve schools run it:

• Takenodai (竹台), Tagara (田柄), Minami-Katsushika (南葛飾), Fuchū-Nishi (府中西), Asuka (飛鳥), Rokugō Kōka (六郷工科), Suginami Sōgō (杉並総合), Hitotsubashi (一橋), Asakusa (浅草), Ogikubo (荻窪) and Sunagawa (砂川)
• Kokusai (国際高校), on a different day

The number of places is set in a separate recruitment table.

Who can apply

The student needs Japanese-language instruction, was born on or before 1 April 2012, is not already at a high school or similar, and fits one of these:

• Any nationality, finishing or having finished nine years of schooling abroad by 31 March 2027.
• Any nationality, graduating or graduated from a junior high by 31 March 2027, and in Japan for three years or less since entry, counted on the day of entry to high school. A student who entered Japan on or after 1 January 2024 is treated as within three years even if the count goes over.
• A foreign national finishing or having finished the equivalent of Japan's nine compulsory years at a foreign school in Japan by 31 March 2027.
• Any nationality, finishing or having finished a Japanese school overseas (日本人学校) by 31 March 2027.

The student must also meet one of the conditions in column ② of the main guidelines' eligibility table; ask the school. Before applying, the student must have their eligibility confirmed (応募資格確認).

Papers

The school's application form; the last school's transcript, or a certificate showing nine years were completed abroad (a student at a Japanese junior high submits the report card, 調査書, instead); for a foreign national, proof of nationality, such as a residence-record certificate; for the three-year route, an official document proving the time in Japan; a personal history on the school's form (パーソナル・ヒストリー); and the exam fee: 2,200 yen for a full-time course or 950 yen for a part-time course.

At the eleven schools other than Kokusai, there is no online application: all papers are submitted in paper form.

Dates

	Eleven schools	Kokusai
Apply	Wed 20 Jan 2027, 9:00–15:00, and Thu 21 Jan, 9:00–12:00	Online entry 18 Dec 2026 – 4 Feb 2027, 17:00; papers must arrive 29 Jan – 4 Feb 2027
Tests	Tue 26 Jan 2027	Mon 15 Feb 2027
Results	Tue 2 Feb 2027, 8:30 online, 9:30 at the school	Wed 17 Feb 2027, 8:30 online, 9:30 at the school
Enrolment steps	2 Feb 9:30–15:30 and 3 Feb 9:00–12:00	17 Feb 9:30–15:30 and 18 Feb 9:00–12:00

On the day

The composition is 50 minutes, then the interview. If the head of the school decides it is needed, an academic test may be added. A test written in Japanese has hiragana readings (ルビ) over the kanji. Missing the composition or the interview counts as giving up the exam, unless there was a valid reason.

Combining applications

• A student may apply to schools whose test days differ. The eleven schools all test on 26 January, so that means one of them plus Kokusai.
• A student who passes at one of the eleven schools cannot apply to Kokusai's selection, and cannot apply to later public rounds after the enrolment day.
• A Kokusai applicant may also apply to the public first round.

September entry

Takenodai, Tagara, Minami-Katsushika, Fuchū-Nishi, Asuka and Kokusai also take students in September 2027, for those finishing nine years abroad, or (for a foreign national) at a foreign school in Japan, between 1 April and 31 August 2027. The student must live in Tokyo with a parent by the entry day, and cannot have applied to an earlier fiscal-2027 public selection. Apply Thu 1 July (9:00–15:00) or Fri 2 July 2027 (9:00–12:00); test Thu 8 July; results Tue 13 July 2027.

Ask the junior high or the school before the application days. This article does not decide eligibility or predict a result.