New tax breaks to help Western-style international schools in Japan took effect Tuesday but may trigger fresh charges of discrimination against the government's education policy because schools catering to Asian ethnic minorities are not covered by the new breaks.

The revision of the corporate and individual income tax codes makes it easier for the Western-style schools to collect donations, because donors will be eligible for tax deductions.

It was made in response to requests by the business community and some lawmakers as part of measures to draw foreign investment to Japan.

They stressed the need to provide better education facilities for children of expatriate executives.

The education ministry said the tax policy is targeted at the school systems and is separate from the controversy about the recently proposed plan that excluded non-Japanese Asian ethnic schools from a government precollege admission certification for Western schools.

An ordinance for the tax revision was issued by the Finance Ministry, but the scope of schools eligible for the tax privilege is subject to an education ministry notice.

The notice defines eligible schools as those accredited by four Western education groups. They are the International Baccalaureate Organization of Switzerland, the European Council for International Schools of Britain, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Association of Christian Schools International of the United States.

The three British and U.S. groups were also selected in the earlier education ministry plan for college testing, which was eventually withdrawn. It would have qualified graduates of Western schools accredited by these groups to take national university entrance exams.

Graduates of IBO-approved schools are already exempt from the "daiken" preadmission certification test.

The education ministry decided to freeze the test exemption plan after it was widely criticized for discriminating against Asian ethnic schools in Japan.