COUNTRY FEATURES

Japan – leading the way for Asia’s universities

Japan remains the powerhouse of the Asian university system, and the strong showing of its premier institutions in the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings again underlined that status. In a repeat of 2008’s performance, ten Japanese institutions featured in the world top 200, with four making it into the top 100. In University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan boasts four of the top ten – as well as nine of the top 20 - universities in the 2009 QS Asian University Rankings.

Domestically, Japan maintains one of the highest university education rates in the world, with virtually universal accessibility. Since World War II, the percentage of the 18-year-old population enrolling in universities and junior colleges has steadily increased, and now stands at around 50%. If the percentage of students enrolling in colleges of technology and specialized schools is added, this figure rises to over 70%. This high level of university education underpins an economy that is now second in the world in terms of both Gross Domestic Product and Official Development Assistance. Japan also has the highest average life expectancy of any country in the world.

The country is noted for its distinctly traditional architectural style.		Japan is a country of dazzling cultural attractions.

Attracting international students

In recent years, Japan has invested significantly in its universities, a fact reflected in its strong showing in the international league tables. As with universities worldwide, a key area of strategic investment has been the drive to attract international students. As of 1 May 2009, there were 132,720 international students studying at universities in Japan, representing a 7.2% increase on the 2008 figure (123,829). Well over half (59.6%) of these students are Chinese, and the overwhelming majority are Asian (92.3%). There are still relatively few students from North America (1.9%) and Europe (3%), with no statistically significant increase on the 2008 figures in this area.

Having achieved in 2008 the 1983 target of attracting 100,000 international students, in July 2008 a revised plan was implemented to reach 300,000 by 2020, with various measures in place to facilitate the achievement of this goal. Expansion is to be focused on 30 universities as part of the US$40 million, government-funded Global 30 program, officially implemented in 2009 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

According to this program, 30 universities will be selected to receive intensive support to enable them to achieve specific goals. In February 2009, an initial 13 were chosen:

• Tohoku University
• University of Tsukuba
• University of Tokyo
• Nagoya University
• Kyoto University
• Osaka University
• Kyusyu University
• Keio University
• Sophia University
• Meiji University
• Waseda University
• Doshisha University
• Ritsumeikan University.

The remaining 17 are to be selected in the coming years.

The 300,000 International Students Plan

There are five main stages of the 300,000 International Students Plan:

• Providing incentives for foreign students to study in Japan.
• Facilitating procedures such as visa restrictions and accommodation.
• Creating attractive and prestigious universities.
• Improving the study environment.
• Promoting the social acceptance and employment of international students after graduation.

The plan is also expected to involve a substantial expansion of the Englishlanguage courses on offer at Japanese universities, with a concurrent expansion in the recruitment of English-speaking teaching staff. Though initial proposals recommended that universities selected under the Global 30 scheme should increase their English-only courses to around 30% in order to attract sufficient levels of international students to meet government targets, this remains the prerogative of the individual universities.

The scenic beauty of Japan beckons foreign students who are also attracted to its many worldclass universities.

Though the overall number of international students at Japanese universities grew by 7.2% - from 123,829 to 132,720 – between May 2008 and May 2009, this increase of roughly 9,000 falls well short of the average annual growth rate of 18,000 (around 14% based on current figures) required to reach the target of 300,000 international students by 2020. As well as being by far the most common country of origin for existing international students in Japan, China is the fastest-expanding market, accounting for 6,316 of this 9,000 one-year increase. However, this still represents an annual growth in Chinese students of just 8%, compared with an across-the-board expansion rate of around 14% required to be on course to meet 2020 targets.

Apart from South Korea, which accounts for 19,605 international students (14.8% of total), no other nationality of origin has a comparable statistical impact as a target market to that of China. So, although Vietnam (the fourth largest provider of international students) exhibited the fastest net growth rate (11%), in real terms this amounts to just 326 extra students. So, if growth targets are to be met over the next ten years, there will be a heavy reliance on an acceleration of the current influx of Chinese students, alongside a considerable expansion in the number of students recruited from the other major source countries - South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Potential reasons for this difficulty in meeting growth targets, despite investment in offering English-language courses, include the relatively high cost of living, difficulty in finding accommodation, a general lack of information about Japan available to students considering study abroad, and strict entrance requirements at universities and colleges. There are also prohibitively strict visa restrictions on student employment and relatively few part-time jobs for those students whose visas do enable them to work.

Furthermore, it is often difficult for international students to find jobs after graduating.

The 300,000 International Students and Global 30 schemes are only in their first year of existence, so they cannot be judged on 2009 figures alone. However, the policy of actively recruiting international students has been in place since 1983. Thus, while Japanese universities continue to lead the way academically and remain a prime destination for international students particularly from Asia, despite their success in 2009 they are not yet on track to meet ambitious projected growth targets.

Scholarships and admission

Since 1982, in an effort to attract foreign talent, students are accepted into special English-language programs, and international students at graduate level are given prioritized allocation as Japanese Government Scholarship students. There are 81 university programs involved in this system.

Some universities, like Tokai University, have their own scholarship programs providing financial assistance to students with good academic standards. More than 65,000 students from over 160 countries and regions have studied in Japan under the Japanese government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship program that was established in 1954. There are seven types of government-sponsored scholarships under the Monbukagakusho Scholarship program - research students, teacher-training students, undergraduate university students, Japanese studies students, college of technology students, special training students and Young Leader’s Program (YLP). Potential candidates are recommended by a Japanese embassy or Consulate General, or by a Japanese university.

In addition, the Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia started in 2007. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) are collaborating to provide a consistent human resource development program.

The Foreign Students’ High Specialty Practice Operation is available to fulltime students, chosen by the university to participate in the program, and who are holders of the Mongbukagakusho Scholarship. On the other hand, the Foreign Students’ High Achievement Practice Operation is for foreign students from Asia who are currently registered in a Japanese university at undergraduate or graduate level and intend to join a Japanese company after graduating.

The United Nations University (UNU) also provides reimbursable funds to self-financing students from developing countries to study in Japan through the Japanese universities participating in the program (www.fap. hq.unu.edu).

Privately financed foreign students can gain admission in one of two ways: either the student is accepted through domestic or foreign selection on applying directly to the school from his or her own country; or, the student enrols in a private Japanese-language institute, completes the preparatory education of one year, and then applies to the school of his or her choice. In most cases, students need to sit for an entrance examination.

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