Becoming International in Japan: Class, Ethnicity and Early Childhood Education

International pre-schools in Japan are a growing phenomenon, used by parents who are keen to ensure that their children are fluent in English and at home with Western culture, thereby preparing their children for, as the parents see it, future success. This book, based on extensive original research, examines international pre-schools in Japan. It discusses the motivation of parents, teachers and others involved, and shows how international pre-schools exemplify a tension within Japanese society more widely concerning the extent to which Japan should internationalise, a tension which often becomes acute for international pre-school children as they reach the age of compulsory education and their lack of "Japaneseness" in relation to children who have not been to international pre-schools becomes apparent.