Compulsory education Gimu kyoiku
In Japan, compulsory education (gimu kyoiku) is from elementary school to junior high school, for children between the ages of 6 and 15; six years in elementary school and three years in junior high school.  All lessons are taught in Japanese.  Both public and private schools are available, but when entering a private school a child needs to take an entrance exam.  Up to the senior high school level, schools adopt a three-semester system extending from April to July, September to December, and January to March.
Foreign nationals who have completed alien registration procedures can continue through public junior high school without
taking an entrance exam.  Those wishing to enter a senior high school and pursue post-secondary education must pass the required entrance exams and satisfy all other requirements established by the school in question, including achieving a specific level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Please note there is no tuition fee per say however there are various fees that must be paid to send your child/children to public elementary and junior schools. All education undertaken after completion of compulsory education requires passing of entrance examinations and various fees above and beyond tuition fees.

Detailed information is available in English on the Aichi Prefecture Board of Education and on the Ministry of Education web sites.

Nursery School Hoiku-en
Nursery school (hoiku-en) is not, strictly speaking, an educational institution, but rather a type of day-care facility.  A child can be admitted to nursery school if the child's primary caregiver has a job, or must deal with illness in the family.  Usually, a nursing school accepts children from the ages of three years until they enter elementary school. Some nursery schools accept newborns and children under 2 years of age. Nursery schools are normally open from 08:00 to 18:00; only four nursery schools in Nagoya are open at night.  Please note that nursery schools with full enrollment may not be able to accept additional children (depending on the nursery school and location there are often long waiting lists to enroll children). The fees for both public and private nursery schools are the same, and are based on the parents' income. For information on both public and private nursery schools, contact the Public Welfare Division of your local ward office.

Primary Education

Kindergarten (Yochi-en)
Kindergartens educate children between the ages of three and five. Although kindergartens accept children within the same age range as nursery schools do, the aim of kindergarten is different.  While most private kindergartens may provide school bus services, in the case of public kindergartens, parents are responsible for transportation between the home and school. Most kindergartens are open only during the morning.  For information, contact your local kindergarten or Teaching Personnel Division of the Nagoya City Board of Education.

Elementary School (Shogakko)
Elementary school education begins for children at age six, and continues for six years (children must be 6 years of age as of April 2 to enter elementary school).  Foreign nationals who have completed alien registration procedures can send their children to a public elementary school, regardless of the child's level of Japanese proficiency. Your child will be assigned to a public school according to your residential address (unless there is a very special reason, people may not choose which public elementary school their child may attend). Please note there are various fees to be paid. For information, contact the Residents' Affairs Division of your local ward office.

Secondary Education
Junior High School (Chugakko)
After completing six years of elementary education, students begin three years of education at a junior high school. Please note there are various fees to be paid. For details, contact your local elementary school or the Residents' Affairs Division of your local ward office.

Senior High School (Kotogakko)
High schools are classified as regular (Kotogakko) or vocational high schools (Koto senmon gakko).  The senior high school program is normally three years, although night schools (yakan koto gakko) offer four-year courses.  A foreign national wishing to enter a senior high school must: be a graduate of a junior high school in Japan or must have the equivalent level which has been recognized by an educational authority, and have passed the same entrance exam that is given to Japanese students.  In any case, a sufficient level of Japanese proficiency is required to enter senior high school.  Please note unlike elementary and junior high school, there are various fees in addition to tuition to be paid. For detailed information, contact your local senior high school or the Upper Secondary Education Division of the Board of Education in Nagoya City or Aichi Prefecture.

Higher Education
Vocational Schools (Senmon gakko)
Vocational schools are intended to provide a vocational or technical education.  A foreign national wishing to enter a vocational school must have completed 12 years of schooling in Japan, or the equivalent level which has been recognized by an educational authority and must pass either the 1st or 2nd level of the Japanese Proficiency Test.  For detailed information, contact your school of choice.  When entering a Japanese Language School, the Japanese Proficiency Test is not required.

Universities (Daigaku)
Universities offer four-year programs, while junior colleges (tandai) normally offer two-year programs.  To enter a university or college, a foreign national must have passed the same entrance exam that is given to Japanese students. 
For overseas (or exchange) students (ryugakusei), see the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)  web site for detailed information. General information on entrance exams and admission is available in publications such as Shihi Gaikokujin Ryugakusei no tame no Daigaku Nyugaku Annai ("Guide to university/college entrance exams for privately funded overseas students"). 
This publication can be read at the 3F NIC Information Counter.  For detailed information, please contact the university directly.

Graduate Schools (Daigaku-in)
A master's degree program is normally two years, while a doctoral program is normally five years (with the master's program serving as the first two years of the doctoral program).  Medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine programs are the exception. Lectures are in Japanese at most Japanese graduate schools. Those who have completed a university level education or equivalent are qualified to enter a graduate program. General information on graduate programs is available from publications such as Gaikokujin Ryugakusei no tame no Daigakuin Nyugaku Annai ("Graduate Programs for Foreign Students").  For detailed information, contact the graduate school directly.