Why Are Christian Schools Popular in Japan Despite the Small Number of Christians? : A Case Study of a Catholic Girls’ Junior and Senior High School

TL;DR

This paper explores why Christian schools are popular in Japan despite few Christians, focusing on a Catholic girls' school and student values.

Contribution

It introduces a novel qualitative approach using cultural capital theory to explain school popularity beyond traditional gendered perspectives.

Findings

Students perceive the school's education as contributing to cultural capital and habitus.

There is a strong alignment between the school's founding ideals and students' personal values.

The study shifts focus from marriage to individual career values in explaining school appeal.

Abstract

The proportion of Christians in Japan’s population is very small (0.7%). In contrast, Christian-affiliated schools are numerous and enjoy widespread popularity. As previous studies suggest, Christian schools—especially those for girls—are often associated with positive social images (such as being “refined” or “upper-class”), particularly among young women, and this association has been considered one reason for their popularity. However, much of the existing research is based on statistical analysis, literature review, or quantitative methods, and few studies have employed detailed qualitative approaches.

Some earlier studies have applied Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of class reproduction to analyze the popularity of Christian girls’ schools, but they often frame this in terms of marriage as a pathway to upward social mobility—a perspective that does not fully align with the values of today’s youth, who tend to place greater emphasis on their individual careers. Therefore, this paper focuses on one Christian-affiliated integrated junior and senior high school for girls (referred to as School X) and explores the reasons for its popularity through semi-structured interviews with its alumni. Unlike previous research that has been constrained by gender biases, this study examines the appeal of such schools from the perspective of cultural capital. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of alignment between the students’ values and the founding mission of the school.

The findings reveal that the students perceived School X’s education as directly contributing to the acquisition of various forms of capital and habitus, as defined by Bourdieu (although not articulated in such terms by the students themselves). Additionally, These results indicate a strong sense of coherence between the school’s founding ideals and the students’ personal values.

In conclusion, this paper offers insight—through the lens of cultural capital and habitus—into why Christian girls’ schools in Japan continue to be highly regarded.