As the number of Japanese businessmen and their families living in the Chicago area increased during the 1960s, so did the demand for an institution where their children could receive standardized education in their native language. The JCCC founded the Futabakai Saturday School, the first Japanese school in the Midwest, in 1966 and the Day School in 1978. The Day and Saturday Schools provide a place where children of Japanese expatriates can retain close contact with the customs, traditions, and education of their native land. The schools allow Japanese families to fully participate in their U.S. assignment without compromising their Japanese culture or the education of their children.