Japan Press Weekly

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2023 March 15 - 21 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP urges Tokyo gov’t not to exclude North Korean schools from subsidy payments

Japanese Communist Party member of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Toya Etsuko on March 13 urged the metropolitan government to remove a measure that would freeze subsidy payments to North Korean schools in Tokyo.

The Tokyo government provides subsidies to private schools for international students to cover schools’ educational operation costs. However, it has suspended the payment of subsidies to North Korean schools in Tokyo.

Toya pointed out that in light of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Basic Ordinance on Children which was established in 2022, it is unacceptable for the Tokyo government to exclude North Korean schools from its subsidy payments. She stressed that the metropolitan government’s act of freezing the payment may aggravate hate speech and actions, and endanger the safety of Korean students. She said, “I question whether the Tokyo government thinks it is important to protect the rights of minority children.”

TMG Private School Division chief Toya Yasuyuki replied that respecting the human rights of all is important. The JCP assemblyperson said that if the metropolitan government really thinks so and intends to place importance on children’s basic human rights, it should treat North Korean schools the same way as other international schools in regard to the provision of subsidies.