One of the perennial concerns with Japanese-Singaporean marriages is the question of the language medium of education. The medium of classroom instruction in Japan is Japanese while in Singapore, it is English. The dilemma for many Japanese-Singaporean parents is whether to have their children educated in Japanese or English medium.

Decisions like this are very difficult to make because it depends on where the parents are employed. If the parents are employed in Japan, the most financially workable choice is to have the children educated in the Japanese state system which teaches in Japanese. International schools are expensive in Japan and the fees are usually out of the reach of salaried workers. If the parents are employed in Singapore, the most financially workable choice is to have the children educated in the Singaporean state system which teaches in English. The only concern with this latter option is whether the children are registered as Singapore citizens. Singapore citizens enjoy heavily subsidized rates while non-Singaporeans are charged foreign student fees even in state schools. International schools in Singapore are even more expensive than those in Japan. Many wage-earning parents will not find the international school option affordable.

So, this is a perennial dilemma which parents in mixed marriages, in this case, Japanese-Singaporean marriages, need to face. For many, there are no easy answers, not even from the experts.