There were 109,508 foreign students studying in Japan as of May 1, up 14.6 percent from a year earlier, the education ministry said Tuesday.
This means the government accomplished its 1983 goal of increasing the number of foreign students from 10,428 at that time to 100,000 early in the 21st century.
The number announced Tuesday includes foreigners studying at universities, colleges and vocational schools, according to a survey conducted by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.
Chinese students made up the largest segment, at 70,814, or 64.7 percent of the total, up 21 percent from a year earlier. South Koreans came next, at 15,871, accounting for 14.5 percent, according to the ministry.
The University of Tokyo registered the largest number of foreign students, with 2,070 enrolled, followed by Waseda University with 1,593.
The number of foreign students at vocational schools increased 23.6 percent from a year earlier to 21,233, according to the survey.
Since last year, a subpanel of the Central Council for Education, which advices the education minister, has been discussing policies on accepting foreign students.
The subpanel is expected to finalize a report on the policy by the end of this year, according to the ministry.