[Request for Coverage] 51 Middle/High School Principals and Teachers from Southeast Asia to Visit Schools in Miyagi and Aichi

The Japan Foundation (JF) is conducting the 'Japan-ASEAN Junior and Senior High School Teacher Exchange Program,' which invites educators from ASEAN countries to Japan to share challenges and knowledge in the educational field and promote mutual understanding through interactions with Japanese teachers, students, and pupils. This is part of the 'Next Generation Co-creation Partnership - Culture WA 2.0' promoted by JF.

In the first year, 55 teachers participated, and 98 teachers joined last year, visiting schools in prefectures such as Oita, Tokushima, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Yamagata, and Toyama.

In this third year, 25 middle and high school principals and officials from 10 ASEAN countries will arrive in Japan in early June, followed by 26 secondary education teachers from Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia in mid-June. They will visit schools in Miyagi and Aichi prefectures, respectively, to interact with local teachers and students and exchange views on educational and social challenges faced by their respective countries.

Participants will attend lectures on education and visit research institutions in Tokyo that conduct research on education, as well as organizations working on the development and promotion of SDGs education and disaster prevention education in collaboration with schools.

In Miyagi Prefecture, they will visit 'Miyagi Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School,' the first public high school in the Tohoku region to receive International Baccalaureate accreditation, to observe their classes, club activities, and pioneering education. They will also deepen their understanding of teacher training at the Graduate School of Education, Miyagi University of Education. Furthermore, they will visit the 'Ishinomaki City Disaster Prevention Memorial Kadowaki Elementary School' to learn about the reality of tsunami damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and study disaster prevention education and crisis management in educational settings.

In Aichi Prefecture, they will visit 'Aichi Prefectural Tsushima High School and Attached Junior High School' to observe educational initiatives and school life as a public integrated middle-high school. They will also tour the facilities of the 'Aichi Prefectural Aichi Comprehensive Technical High School and Attached Junior High School,' which opened this year as the nation's first technical high school attached to a middle school, and observe industrial education. They will also visit the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education to learn about educational policies that leverage the prefecture's characteristics as an industrial hub.

In addition, they will deepen their understanding of Japanese culture through ryokan stays and cultural facility visits, aiming to promote multifaceted understanding of Japan. Based on people-to-people exchange between Japan and ASEAN, this also contributes to the promotion of international cooperation for solving global issues. It is expected that the knowledge and experience gained through participation in this program will be returned to the young generation in the participants' respective educational sites through lectures and classes, further strengthening the relationship between Japan and ASEAN in the future.

Program Overview Project Name: Next Generation Co-creation Partnership - Culture WA 2.0; 2026 'Japan-ASEAN Junior and Senior High School Teacher Exchange Program' Organizer: The Japan Foundation (JF)

Group A Date: June 7 (Sun) - June 14 (Sun), 2026 Participants: 25 principals and educational officials from secondary education institutions in Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos. Visit Areas: Tokyo, Miyagi Prefecture Schedule (Tentative): June 7 (Sun): Arrival in Japan June 8 (Mon): Orientation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Welcome Reception June 9 (Tue): National Institute for Educational Policy Research, Ryokan Stay Experience June 10 (Wed): Miyagi Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School (Sendai, Miyagi) June 11 (Thu): Miyagi University of Education, Ishinomaki City Disaster Prevention Memorial Kadowaki Elementary School June 12 (Fri): Digital Knowledge Co., Ltd., Meet-and-Greet with active teachers June 14 (Sun): Departure Language: English

Group B Date: June 14 (Sun) - June 21 (Sun), 2026 Participants: 26 teachers and educational officials from secondary education institutions in Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia. Visit Areas: Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture Schedule (Tentative): June 14 (Sun): Arrival in Japan June 15 (Mon): Orientation, Think the Earth (NPO), Welcome Reception June 16 (Tue): COMPASS Co., Ltd. (Developer of AI-based learning material 'Qubena'), Aichi Prefectural Board of Education, Ryokan Stay Experience June 17 (Wed): Aichi Prefectural Tsushima High School and Attached Junior High School (Tsushima, Aichi) June 18 (Thu): Aichi Prefectural Aichi Comprehensive Technical High School and Attached Junior High School (Nagoya, Aichi), Nagoya Castle June 19 (Fri): Plus Arts (NPO), Meet-and-Greet with active teachers June 21 (Sun): Departure Language: English