Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ)

In Brief

Vibe. Small (~460 students), tight-knit, openly Christian. Run by evangelical mission groups. The Christianity is not background flavour — daily chapel, Bible classes, and one parent has to sign the statement of faith unless your family is in the 20% cap of non-Christian families admitted per grade.

Who's there. A real mix: Korean, American, Japanese-passport, dual-nationality kids. Roughly a third are still missionary kids; the rest are business and professional families who want an English-medium school with Christian values. Students come from 20+ countries. Lots of bilingual kids, plus a proper EAL programme.

Academics. Solid North American curriculum, small classes, strong college counselling pointed mostly at US universities. Not flashy, no IB. According to one parent, "the American curriculum has helped my child excel" and the staff are "incredibly helpful and supportive." Alumni consistently say it was strict but prepared them well for college.

Community. This is the strongest selling point. Warm, parent-involved, very low transience for an international school. Good for a kid who wants to actually know everyone.

Where it is. Higashikurume, far northwest suburbs. Not central Tokyo. Most kids commute via the Seibu Ikebukuro Line, then walk or bike. If you're living in central Tokyo, factor in a real commute — rehearse the route before you commit.

Cost. Around USD 13-15k a year — meaningfully cheaper than ASIJ.

The thing to know. A 2022 independent investigation (Telios Law) substantiated 25 cases of historical sexual abuse spanning 1957-2001, mostly tied to the old boarding programme. The boarding programme closed in 2009. Mission boards issued a formal apology and put $1M toward victim counselling. New child protection policies were in place from 2002. Nothing recent — but if you're researching the school, it'll come up, so worth knowing the shape of it.

Honest fit check. - Good fit if: you want a small Christian-rooted community, value tight relationships over prestige, and the faith dimension is a feature not a tolerated tax. - Think twice if: you're not Christian and would find daily chapel and a faith-aligned worldview taught across subjects uncomfortable, or if you're set on living central and a 45-60 min commute will grind your kid down.