Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School

The 3G Philosophy at MOIS

Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School (MOIS) positions itself as a uniquely values-driven public institution in Japan. Its core educational philosophy is crystallised in three Japanese concepts — やり抜く力 (Grit), 成長し続ける力 (Growth), and 世界に視野を広げる力 (Global awareness) — collectively known as the 3G motto.

These values are not merely decorative slogans but form the scaffolding for the school's entire educational programme. Grit reflects the expectation that students will persist through challenges and complete long-term projects, particularly evident in the IB's Extended Essay and Personal Project requirements. Growth signals a commitment to continuous self-improvement rather than fixed mindset, encouraging students to embrace feedback and revision cycles central to IB assessment. Global awareness acknowledges the school's ambition to prepare students not just for Japanese society but for international university and career pathways.

The school's overarching vision — 「ここで学ぶ, 世界の未来のつくり方」 ('Learn to make the future of the world') — sets an explicitly outward-facing aspiration. This is remarkable for a public Japanese secondary school, which historically has focused on domestic university entrance examinations. MOIS instead emphasises inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and multilingual competency as the foundations of 'true academic ability' (真の学力).

In practical terms, this philosophy manifests in several ways:

• No ability-based streaming in English: All students learn together in mixed-ability classes, with the school providing Japanese-language support for returnees who struggled with Japanese instruction, rather than separating students by English proficiency.
• The 3G Project: A school-wide project connecting student work to global themes, encouraging interdisciplinary connections aligned with the IB's Areas of Interaction.
• MOIS Cup English Debate: A popular annual English debate competition open to all students regardless of background, demonstrating the school's commitment to active English use in non-academic contexts.
• Daily English drills: Every morning features 15 minutes of English training, reinforcing the belief that language fluency requires consistent daily practice alongside immersive academic instruction.

The 3G philosophy also underpins the school's admissions approach: rather than selecting solely on academic test scores, the admissions process incorporates group interviews and group activities (集団面接・集団活動), explicitly evaluating students' collaborative and communicative potential — traits aligned with the Grit and Growth values.

A School Born from Transformation

Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School (MOIS) has a short but remarkable history. It was established in April 2019 through the reorganisation of the former Saitama Municipal Omiya West High School (市立大宮西高校) into a brand-new integrated 6-year secondary school (中等教育学校). This transformation was driven by Saitama City's ambition to create a publicly accessible pathway to internationally recognised education, positioned in the northwest of the city.

Opening and Early Reception

The school's inaugural year was characterised by extraordinary public interest — described as an 'opening bubble' (開校バブル). Nearly 1,000 applicants competed for just 160 places, producing an acceptance rate of roughly 16%. While this extreme competition has since stabilised to around 4 applicants per place (approximately 25% acceptance rate), the initial surge demonstrated the latent demand for high-quality, affordable international education in the Saitama region.

IB Authorisations

From its founding, MOIS pursued the International Baccalaureate framework as its pedagogical foundation. The school achieved two significant milestones:

• IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) authorisation: May 1, 2021 — making all Year 7–10 students eligible to follow the globally recognised MYP curriculum.
• IB Diploma Programme (DP) authorisation: May 12, 2022 — enabling Year 11–12 students to pursue the IB Diploma, opening pathways to international universities.

As of these authorisations, MOIS became Saitama Prefecture's only internationally authorised IB secondary school in the public sector, a distinction that continues to set it apart from all other public schools in the region.

First Graduating Cohort (2025)

The school's first graduating class completed their studies in March 2025 — a milestone six years in the making. The cohort of approximately 145 students achieved 100% university placement, with 53 students accepted to Japan's national universities and over 105 to top private institutions including Waseda, Keio, Sophia, and ICU. This outcome validated the school's founding vision and attracted further media and policy attention.

Recognition and Awards

In 2025, MOIS received the MEXT Career Education Excellence Award (文部科学大臣表彰), formally recognising its innovative approach to career and international education within the Japanese public school system. This award positions MOIS as a model for public international education nationally, not just within Saitama.

A Unique Bilingual Admissions Process

Admissions to MOIS are competitive by any standard, but what makes the process truly distinctive is its bilingual, bicultural design — reflecting the school's mixed student body and its IB philosophy of accessibility across language backgrounds.

Two Admission Tracks

1. General Selection (一般選抜): Open to students across Saitama Prefecture (no residence restriction for the city itself). This is the primary pathway for local Japanese students and Japanese returnees who apply through the standard route.

2. Special Returnee / Foreign-National Track (帰国生徒・外国籍生徒特別選抜): Approximately 10% of each cohort (~16 of 160 places) is reserved for students who have lived overseas or hold foreign nationality. However, the total returnee population is higher (estimated 15–20% of each year group) because many returnees also gain entry through the general selection track.

The Two-Stage Process

Stage 1:

• Aptitude Test D (適性検査D, 50 minutes): A written aptitude/reasoning test where students may choose to answer in either Japanese or English — a striking feature that removes language as a barrier to participation.
• Group Interview (集団面接, 15 minutes): Questions are posed in both Japanese and English, with students expected to respond in both languages. This tests communication and collaborative thinking.

Stage 2:

• Aptitude Test E (適性検査E): A further written assessment.
• Group Activity (集団活動): A collaborative group task assessing social skills, leadership, and teamwork — values central to the IB Learner Profile.

Selectivity Over Time

The school opened in 2019 with approximately 1,000 applicants for 160 places (~16% acceptance). In recent years, the competition has stabilised to roughly 4 applicants per place (approximately 25% acceptance rate), suggesting the initial 'opening bubble' has passed but interest remains consistently high. The school's vice-principal noted that recent applicants are better prepared and more familiar with the school's mission than early cohorts.

What This Means for Families

The bilingual admissions process sends a clear signal: MOIS welcomes students from diverse language backgrounds. Families with children who are stronger in English than Japanese (as is common for returnees) are not disadvantaged. However, successful candidates must demonstrate genuine intellectual curiosity and collaborative potential, not merely language skills or rote-learned knowledge.

IB Education Accessible to All

One of MOIS's most remarkable features is delivering a full IB education at public-school tuition rates — approximately ¥118,800 per year (roughly ¥9,900 per month), with no entrance fee or deposit. This makes MOIS one of the most affordable routes to an internationally recognised IB Diploma in Japan, compared to international schools charging ¥2–4 million annually.

Curriculum Structure

Years 7–10 (Middle Years Programme): All students follow the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), which MOIS received authorisation for in May 2021. The MYP framework organises learning around key concepts and global contexts, requiring students to make meaningful connections across eight subject groups. The school uses Japanese and English as languages of instruction throughout, with core subjects like Mathematics, Sciences, and Humanities delivered bilingually.

Years 11–12 (Diploma Programme): In the upper school, students may optionally pursue the IB Diploma Programme (DP), authorised in May 2022. Students choose from three thematic tracks:

• Global Track: Focused on social sciences and international issues.
• Liberal Arts Track: Humanities and cross-disciplinary studies.
• STEM Track: Sciences and mathematics emphasis.

The DP at MOIS is structured as a Japanese-based DP (日本語DP), meaning the primary language of instruction and assessment is Japanese for many subjects, with English-medium subjects also available. This makes it accessible to graduates of Japanese primary schools while still conferring the globally recognised IB Diploma.

Pedagogy and Class Structure

The school uses mixed-ability classes — there is no streaming by English proficiency or academic level, which is a deliberate pedagogical choice aligned with IB values of inclusion. Each year group has 4 homeroom classes (approximately 160 students per year), which are reorganised into 6 smaller groups for specific subjects. This small-group structure (approximately 26–27 students per group) facilitates active discussion, inquiry, and closer teacher-student interaction.

English instruction takes place entirely in English (All-English classes), complemented by daily 15-minute English training each morning to build practical language skills. The school reports that students — including those with no prior overseas experience — develop strong English fluency through sustained immersive practice.

First Cohort Outcomes

The first graduating class (March 2025, approximately 145 students) achieved 100% university placement, including 53 to national universities and over 105 to prestigious private institutions (Waseda, Keio, Sophia, ICU). These outcomes, from a school that had been open for only 6 years, validate the IB curriculum as effective for Japanese university admissions — a question that had been open at the school's founding.

A Rare Blend: Public School, International Community

MOIS occupies a distinctive position in Japan's educational landscape: it is a fully state-funded public school that deliberately cultivates an internationally diverse community — predominantly local Japanese students, but with a meaningful proportion of returnee (帰国子女) students woven throughout.

Student Demographics

With approximately 925 students across six year groups (~150 per year), MOIS is a mid-sized secondary school. Roughly 10% of each cohort enters through the dedicated special returnee track (帰国生徒・外国籍生徒特別選抜), but including returnees who enter through the general selection process, the total returnee population is estimated at 15–20% of each year group. The remaining majority (~80–85%) are local Japanese students, many of whom chose MOIS precisely because of the opportunity to learn alongside peers with international experience.

This demographic mix creates a distinctive classroom dynamic. In English classes and clubs, returnees often excel and serve as informal peer models for local students. In Japanese language and humanities, the dynamic reverses, with local students supporting returnees who may have weaker Japanese literacy. The school has recently introduced Japanese language support (国語サポーター) in Year 7 classes to address this asymmetry more formally.

The Returnee Experience

For returnee families, MOIS offers an unusually supportive environment within the public system. The admissions process is bilingual (tests and interviews in both Japanese and English), the IB curriculum acknowledges diverse learning backgrounds, and the mixed-ability classroom ethos means returnees are not isolated in separate programmes. The MOIS Cup English Debate — popular since the school's founding — provides a high-profile arena where returnees' English fluency is genuinely valued and celebrated rather than treated as an anomaly.

Campus Culture

The school's open-plan campus design — centred on a large courtyard, with lower school (Years 7–9) and upper school (Years 10–12) wings separated but connected — is intended to foster cross-year interaction. Club activities (クラブアクティビティ) are organised seasonally in an American-style elective format, encouraging students to explore different interests each season rather than committing to a single club throughout their school career. This flexible structure is particularly appreciated by returnees who may be unfamiliar with the rigid club culture of traditional Japanese high schools.

The school's co-curricular programme — including Basketball, Soccer, Dance, Brass Band, English Debate (MOIS Cup), Mock Trial, and PC/Robotics clubs — reflects its dual identity as both a rigorous academic institution and a vibrant community school.