For more than three decades, Akiko Domoto has sensed the need for an international elementary school in Chiba prefecture that would cater to the needs of bilingual families or of Japanese children who have spent time in schools overseas. Today, as the governor of Chiba, she is in a position to make that happen.

Next April, thanks largely to her, Makuhari International School will greet its first students with the aim of providing a unique education to a diverse student body at a cost that will be, for the first time, within the budget of many families. “I first saw the need for this kind of schools in the 1970s when I was a television journalist,” Domoto told an FCCJ PAC luncheon on July 4. “In making a documentary about school dropouts, I found that children returning from overseas had a very tough time. Many were bullied at school because they could not speak Japanese well. The result is that children often stop speaking their second language because they don’t want to be different.”

When Domoto first set in motion plans for an international school within Chiba’s public-education system, she envisaged it being free of charge. She still believes that should be the case, but has reached “a workable compromise” with educational authorities.

The deal gives the school so-called “article one” status – a first for international schools in Japan. In return, the school will provide instruction in English and Japanese that meets the goals of Japan’s national curriculum. That will allow its graduates to take entrance exams for Japanese schools and, once Makuhari reaches middle-school status, be considered to have completed Japan’s compulsory education requirements.

“For Chiba, this is a key to our future in the global economy,” Domoto continued. “Today, we must compete for foreign direct investment with every other region in Japan. But too often we miss opportunities simply because we lack the social infrastructure to support foreign investment. The key factor is international schools. Without them, you cannot support an international work force.”

During its first year Makuhari International School will offer classes from kindergarten to grade four. From 2010 it will go through grade five, then through grade six from 2011. About 250 students are expected to initially join the school, which aims at classes of 20 to 24 students. The midterm aim is a student count of about 400 on the 3,800-square-meter campus now under construction in the Wakaba district of Chiba City.

“My hope is to make our school much more than geographically convenient,” said Principal Paul Rogers at the luncheon. “I want to make Makuhari the best international school in Japan.” Rogers, a graduate of Britain’s Hull University, went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London and served as head of St. Michael’s International School in Kobe from 2002 to 2005. He notes that the new campus will incorporate a large playground and a nature-study area. Teachers being interviewed for positions will need to display commitment to the profession, flexibility and the desire to continue learning, he stressed. ❶