President Sisi looks forward to expanding Japanese schools in Egypt

CAIRO – 15 January 2026: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Matsumoto Yōhei, on Thursday. The meeting discussed prospects for strengthening educational cooperation between Egypt and Japan, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.

The talks focused on enhancing collaboration in developing Egypt’s educational curriculum, introducing software studies to approximately 750,000 students in line with the Japanese curriculum, and expanding cooperation in technical education. Discussions also covered training Egyptian teachers to teach the Japanese language and curriculum, as well as supporting education and rehabilitation programs for people with special needs.

Both sides explored ways to expand the network of Egyptian-Japanese Schools, positioning them as a successful model that could be replicated across Africa and the Arab region.

At the outset of the meeting, President El-Sisi asked the minister to convey his greetings to Emperor Naruhito of Japan and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

President El-Sisi praised the close and longstanding cooperative relations between Egypt and Japan, particularly in the field of education. He also commended Japan’s significant contribution to the Grand Egyptian Museum project and the success of the Egyptian-Japanese Schools initiative. The President underscored Egypt’s interest in increasing the number of these schools across various governorates, as well as expanding the participation of Japanese administrators and experts overseeing their management.

The President expressed Egypt’s appreciation for Japan’s cooperation across all sectors, especially education, and voiced his hope to double the target number of Japanese schools in Egypt over the next five years. He also stressed the importance of benefiting from Japan’s distinguished experience in discipline and educational philosophy, and of intensifying student exchange programs between the two countries.

For his part, Minister Matsumoto noted that Egypt was his first official overseas visit since assuming office. He affirmed that the Egyptian-Japanese Schools project represents a successful model of development cooperation and reflects Japan’s commitment to supporting its partners in Africa and the Middle East.