Japanese schools are strengthening their English-taught programs, opening hostels for international students …

The Japanese government is aiming to 300,000 foreign students by 2020, accounting for 10% of the country’s total students. This rate will bring Japan closer to the economically developed countries but do not speak English such as Germany and France.

According to the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), in May 2017, Japan had more than 267,000 international students. However, 93% of these come from other Asian countries, mainly China. American students make up only about 1%, while the UK has only 640 students per year.

According to Times Higher Education (THE), to attract more students, especially students from the US and European countries, Japan has been implementing many solutions.

The iconic building of the University of Tokyo – the best school in Japan according to THE. Photo: Top Global University Japan

In 2014, the Japanese government introduced the Top Global Universities project, which provides annual grants to 37 universities for up to 10 years to enhance their position on international rankings.

Japanese universities are also increasing online and offline engagement with foreign students for easy access. Accordingly, the international student service offices support administrative procedures such as health insurance or opening a bank account, actively sharing information about university programs in English and former experiences. students on social media.

Another solution implemented by schools in the country of cherry blossoms is to change campus life to adapt to the needs of international students. In Japan, hostels are very rare because most students in this country live with their families.

In the past, foreign students coming to Japan would have to find their own accommodation. But now schools are filling the void by building dormitories. Representatives of this trend include the Global Village (MGV) of Meiji University, which will open in spring 2019. This hostel will provide necessary accommodation, social space and a cafe for both international and domestic students.

Most notably, the schools are reforming the curriculum. Language is the biggest barrier to attracting foreign students, and college study is mostly confined to those seeking related opportunities while coming to Japan. In the hope of attracting a more diverse group of learners, Japanese schools are developing more classes, summer courses and even English-language programs. The University of Tokyo (Utokyo) currently has more than 24 degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students taught entirely in this language.

In addition to the above changes, Japan also focuses on adding scholarship packages to support learning. In addition to the Government scholarships offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Technology and the JASSO Foundation, schools are increasingly creating separate scholarships for international students.

Finally, the Japanese government aims to increase the employment rate of international graduates in Japan to 50% by 2020 from the current 30%. As a result, schools are doing more to support foreign students with part-time jobs in order to fund their studies and improve career prospects with a full-time position upon graduation.