Japan was successfully attracting students from around the world for half a century before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly applied the brakes. Now the government is ramping up study assistance and other programs to woo them back, appealing to keen learners from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regions by using a strategy that’s also designed to revitalize Japan itself.
Back in August 1983, Japan laid out a big welcome mat for international students and has been making it bigger and more sophisticated ever since. It set a national goal that year of drawing 100,000 students to its colleges and universities by the beginning of the 21st century. Five years after achieving that tenfold rise in 2003, the country tripled its target to 300,000 by 2020 — exceeding this goal a year early, in 2019.
To realize that lofty 300,000-student goal, the country broke away from its traditional official development assistance concept with a strategy designed to boost university competitiveness, simplify enrollment and immigration, and improve Japanese-language education overseas.
Inherent in the plan, however, was a drive to promote employment among international students and revitalize Japan. A key facet of the 2016 version of the Japan Revitalization Strategy was designed to boost the domestic employment rate of foreign students to 50% from 30%. By 2019, before COVID hit, the figure stood at 47.6%.
Since July 2022, a different aspect of Japan’s global policy has focused on the recovery of international student exchanges, which fell drastically during the pandemic from a high of 312,214 to 231,146 that year. The goal is to get study abroad activities back to at least pre-coronavirus levels by 2027, regardless of nationality.
Competition for the hearts, minds and tuition fees of top international students is intense worldwide. Back in 2013, the government began seriously ramping up Japan’s appeal as a study destination, with the greater purpose of encouraging students to settle here, help Japanese companies expand globally, strengthen the country’s competitiveness and serve as bridges for facilitating intercultural understanding.
To ensure this happens, Japan’s recent policies have evolved to include providing Japanese-language education to international students, supporting promotional measures for each university to establish special programs — including medium- to long-term internships and career education — and issuing certifications based on other aspects, such as schools’ track records on corporate collaborations and internship implementation plans. Collaborations with government, academia and local communities are also key.
Cooperative exchanges between universities here and elsewhere have become a priority as well. Following global trends in virtual study abroad programs, Japan is looking to promote and expand the use of online platforms and practices.
Chief among the interactive online practices that Japan is pursuing is Collaborative Online International Learning. COIL promotes international exchanges and virtual collaborations through information and communication technology tools. Students can work on projects in various fields while staying in Japan, learning and collaborating with students at universities overseas. Local companies, governments, economic organizations and other entities are working together on program development.
Japan’s relative share of international students in undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs trails other OECD countries. At present, the ratios stand at approximately 3%, 10% and 21%, respectively, all lower than the OECD average.
Effective overseas initiatives have likely made the difference. They include the Turing Plan in the U.K., which provides special support for students from low-income backgrounds; Germany’s Study Bridge, which targets high school grads with strong science, technology, engineering and math results; and Erasmus+, a pan-European program that supports cross-border mobility and collaboration in education, vocational training, youth development and sport. The latter extends to countries and regions outside Europe.
In regard to online offerings, France’s Open Classrooms offers free content with individualized instruction, the U.S.-based Coursera Plus plan provides content from participating institutions for a monthly or annual fee, and in February 2022, ASEAN began offering Virtual Exchange plans funded by EU grants to implement VE/COIL at universities in the region.
While COIL should help Japan’s numbers, it still has room to grow.
The majority of foreign students in Japan are from elsewhere in Asia, with Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand among the top 10 contributors.
Japan’s strong and continuous ties with ASEAN foster the most active people-to-people exchanges. As Japanese companies seek expansion in this region, it’s vital for Japan to uphold educational quality, considering each country’s unique context. Japan is actively working on building a system to achieve this goal and aims to expand its offerings quantitatively.
While tuition for students studying abroad in countries such as the U.S., Australia and Canada can be up to double what their own students pay, Japan’s institutions charge everyone the same. In general, tuition in Japan is also less expensive.
Adding to the appeal of Japan as a study abroad destination — most students say they want to live here and dive into the country’s language and culture, with an eye to working in a Japan-related profession in the future — Japan offers solid support programs.
One such program is the Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students, which is underwritten by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It covers universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, technical colleges (for third-year students and above), specialized courses at vocational schools, or educational institutions that have courses that provide preparatory education for entering Japanese universities. The program provides a scholarship to privately financed international students scheduled to enroll with pre-arrival admission.
In addition to this, the Japan Student Services Organization offers a monthly stipend of ¥80,000 to a similar range of students. JASSO provides information about studying in Japan, support in finding accommodations, and career advice for those looking to work here. The organization also maintains several offices in Asia, specifically in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam, to supply prospective students with information on Japan-based study programs.
With a current intake target of 400,000 international students, Japan will need to supercharge its already attractive offerings to bring in more learners with high aspirations from ASEAN and elsewhere. This initiative is aimed at not only increasing the number of highly skilled human resources, but also retaining them within Japanese companies and communities after graduation, which will contribute to addressing Japan’s declining birthrate and fostering diversity for the nation’s future.
- Osaka Electro-Communication University
- Akita University
- The University of Electro-Communications
- Japan Women’s University
- Kanazawa University
- The University of Tokyo
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