At Saitama’s Suzutani Elementary School, English classes begin with natural conversation. Two instructors—a homeroom teacher and a foreign language assistant—conduct the lessons entirely in English. Fifth graders were observed actively participating in English dialogues, responding in simple but confident sentences while avoiding the use of Japanese as much as possible.
According to results released on June 23rd by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 52.4 percent of third-year junior high school students nationwide reached at least the equivalent of Japan’s Eiken Grade 3 level. However, among designated cities, Saitama stood out with an 89.2 percent success rate, securing the top position in the 2024 national survey of English education in public schools.
Local residents expressed pride in the city’s reputation, with one noting, “It makes overseas feel closer” and another saying, “I feel proud to live in such a city.”
Saitama’s achievement is deeply rooted in its elementary school curriculum. Since 2016, the city has implemented its original “Global Studies” program in all elementary and junior high schools. The curriculum emphasizes not just language acquisition but communication skills, encouraging children to actively engage in spoken English from an early stage.
Unlike the standard nationwide practice of starting English classes in third grade, Saitama begins in first grade. While the national curriculum provides 210 hours of English instruction over six years, Saitama doubles this to 419 hours, giving students significantly more exposure.
In one class themed around “The Ideal Morning,” students enthusiastically shared their preferred ways to start the day, discussing breakfast menus and imaginative ways of getting to school. When an N Star reporter tried his own English, students casually evaluated his pronunciation as “normal.” Asked if they enjoyed English lessons, all responded cheerfully in unison: “Yes!”
Teachers carefully design lessons to keep the atmosphere enjoyable and conversation-based. “We want children to have fun learning English, so we emphasize speaking from the elementary level,” said one Global Studies instructor.
Makiko Nakamuro, a professor of educational economics at Keio University, praised Saitama’s public school system for offering parents a strong alternative to private schools or expensive extracurricular programs. “There are three key strengths: highly skilled teachers, thorough training programs, and data-driven analysis that allows for tailored instruction matching each child’s needs,” Nakamuro explained.