In late April, the government revised a Justice Ministry ordinance to firm up rules for accepting foreign students.
Under the new framework, educational institutions, including universities, need to have adequate enrollment regulations and international student management systems, including classroom attendance and part-time job records. If institutions do not meet the requirements, they are not allowed to accept foreign students and student residential status will not be granted to overseas applicants.
Casual observers of this change might come away with the impression that the revision aims to limit the number of international students who plan to attend school in Japan — but this is not the case. On the contrary, the government has consistently sought to increase their ranks starting from the 1980s.