Japanese International School Breaks Ground on Shared IB and MEXT-Accredited Campus in Phnom Penh

“Two Schools, One Future”

The Japanese International School of Phnom Penh (JISPP) has started work on a new campus in Khan Mean Chey after a groundbreaking ceremony on September 22. The project is described as the first campus of its kind anywhere: it will house an International Baccalaureate school serving students from kindergarten through middle school alongside a school accredited by the Japanese government.

The event was led by H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport. Mr. Misumi Takahito, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Japan’s Embassy in Cambodia, also attended, along with representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and members of Cambodia’s Japanese community.

When it opens in August 2027, the JISPP Mean Chey Campus — located about one kilometre south of AEON Mall Mean Chey — will allow JISPP to grow beyond its present early childhood offering and add primary and middle school classes. It will also become the new home of the Japanese School of Phnom Penh (JSPP), which is accredited by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

The groundbreaking took place two weeks after Japan’s education minister, Mr. Yohei Matsumoto, visited Cambodia and met with H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron to agree on closer cooperation between the two countries in the education sector.

A shared site with separate learning paths

The new project is being positioned as the world’s first campus to combine a Japanese government-accredited school and an IB school across the full range from kindergarten through middle school. Although Japanese schools abroad sometimes share facilities with international schools, this campus is designed to let students of similar ages from both institutions grow up within the same school community.

Both schools will keep their own curricula. JSPP students will follow the curriculum set by Japan’s education ministry, while JISPP students will receive an education built around IB frameworks and informed by Japanese early childhood practice. The site plan also includes joint extracurricular activities, shared campus events and regular everyday contact between pupils from the two schools.

The campus is planned around the routines of younger children and will include large play areas, a football field, a swimming pool, sports facilities and a canteen. Natural daylight and natural materials are central to the design, reflecting Japanese approaches to school building.

Blending Japanese discipline with IB inquiry

JISPP opened in 2024 as a nursery and kindergarten for children of Cambodian, Japanese and other nationalities. It is currently an IB candidate school working toward authorization for the Primary Years Programme.

At the ceremony, H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron praised the Japanese education system for developing more than academic knowledge. He said it also nurtures discipline, responsibility, cooperation, respect for others and a strong sense of community. He also highlighted the IB’s role in encouraging students to think independently, ask questions and find solutions — skills he said are essential in the twenty-first century.

He added that placing two schools with different strengths on one campus could give Cambodian and Japanese children a valuable chance to study together, understand each other’s cultures more deeply and form friendships early in life. Those relationships, he said, could help strengthen ties between Cambodia and Japan over time.

The school’s approach combines student-centred learning with everyday responsibility. Children are encouraged to follow their interests, make choices and try tasks independently, helping them develop confidence, perseverance, creativity, cooperation and self-reliance alongside academic ability.

Japanese early childhood practice also treats daily routines as learning. Children may clean classrooms, serve one another lunch, look after their belongings and take part in school activities, all of which are intended to build responsibility, independence and consideration for others.

Outdoor learning is another focus. JISPP places importance on play in natural settings, giving children age-appropriate challenges and opportunities to explore, solve problems, learn from mistakes and discover what they can do.

Alongside Japan’s reputation for strong mathematics and science teaching, the IB method asks children to pose questions, investigate ideas and reach their own conclusions. Together, the two approaches aim to help students think for themselves, act with independence, collaborate with others and meet new situations with confidence.

“I sincerely hope that this new campus will become a place that brings together Japanese and Cambodian children and that the children who learn here will grow up to act as bridges of friendship between our two countries in the future,” said Mr. Misumi Takahito of the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia.

The history behind the Japanese School in Phnom Penh

The Japanese School of Phnom Penh opened on May 31, 2015 with 27 students. Its establishment was a joint effort by the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Association of Cambodia, the Japanese Business Association in Cambodia and the wider Japanese community.

H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron attended the original opening ceremony and later led the groundbreaking for the campus that will become the school’s new home.

Koji Tezuka, president of the Japanese Association of Cambodia, which governs JSPP, said the shared campus arrangement was “truly meaningful.” He added that having pupils from both schools study and interact together would create significant educational value.

A book donation and a wider education mission

During the ceremony, JISPP and Sunrise Japan Hospital Phnom Penh presented the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport with 50 copies of a newly published Khmer-language book about early childhood education. The book, written by Mr. Watanabe in collaboration with the hospital, gives parents practical guidance rooted in Japanese ideas about child development. It also carries a message from H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron on its cover.

JISPP’s founding partner, Wonderfy Inc., has worked in Cambodian education since 2018 through a JICA partnership aimed at improving mathematics and science teaching. The company uses its thinking-skills app, Think!Think!, as part of that work.

“Our journey in Cambodia began with a JICA project in 2018. Today we break ground on a campus that will carry these children from kindergarten through middle school. As a bridge between Japan and Cambodia, we will pursue the very best education here,” said Kei Kawashima, chief executive of Wonderfy Inc.

About JISPP

The Japanese International School of Phnom Penh is a nursery and kindergarten in Phnom Penh that offers Japanese early childhood education to children of all nationalities. It is an IB candidate school and works closely with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. The JISPP Mean Chey Campus, opening in August 2027, will expand the school through primary and middle school.