The Guide
Wed, 24 June 2026

Cities / Tokyo / EIFJ Tokyo

EIFJ Tokyo

A young trilingual French Japanese school running French Ministry curriculum alongside the IB PYP, parent-founded in 2019 and growing fast.

EIFJ Tokyo campus
EIFJ Tokyo, 40. Photograph · School

Curriculum
IB
Ages
1 to 15
Pupils
Est. 100
Founded
2019

A young trilingual French Japanese school running French Ministry curriculum alongside the IB PYP, parent-founded in 2019 and growing fast.

EIFJ blends the French national curriculum with English and Japanese teaching, splitting elementary instruction roughly half French and half English with two hours of Japanese a week. In February 2026 it became the first French international school in Asia accredited for the IB PYP. The school is part of the Mission Laique Francaise network, which gives it a structural anchor beyond the founding parent group, and the staff and student bodies are genuinely multinational.

Families choose EIFJ for the combination of French rigour, an English working environment and tuition that runs lower than the established Tokyo names. The school is small and still building out its upper years, so anyone planning into the lycee phase needs to check what is in place. The PYP authorisation and the network backing both point toward a school investing in stability.


  • Direct parent feedback on EIFJ is split between operational concern and strong educational draw.
  • One teacher described the school as "quite dysfunctional" while paying staff well, which sits awkwardly against the school's small footprint and rapid growth since 2019.
  • Editorial coverage and parent association write-ups credit "caring and responsive teachers", a high teacher-to-student ratio, and a trilingual French-English-Japanese approach as the stand-out features.
  • Operational practicality matters: the school stays open during holidays and is set up for working parents.
  • The school is the only French-medium private alternative to the Lycée Français International de Tokyo, which is the main reason families consider it. Its founding in 2019 means the alumni and senior-school outcome record is short.

Positives

  • Trilingual structure. French, English and Japanese delivered in parallel; the unique selling point
  • Teacher attentiveness. High staff-to-pupil ratio and attentive teachers cited in editorial reviews
  • Working-parent fit. School-day length and holiday-period opening cited as a practical draw

Considerations

  • Operational stability. One teacher Reddit comment flags the school as 'dysfunctional'
  • Track record. Founded 2019; senior-school and alumni outcomes data is limited
  • Forum footprint. Direct parent reviews, Mumsnet and ISDB are very thin; pool is small

Leadership

Fabien Levet

Fabien Levet is the founder and director of the French-Japanese International School of Tokyo, dedicated to providing a bilingual education that integrates French, English, and Japanese languages. He has extensive experience in international education and is committed to fostering a multicultural learning environment.


1-chōme-40-13 Nishigaoka, Kita City, Tokyo 115-0056, Japan

School website