The initiative comes in response to a recommendation made by a government panel, which set an ambitious target of having 500,000 Japanese students studying abroad by 2033.
The initiative comes in response to a recommendation made by a government panel, which set an ambitious target of having 500,000 Japanese students studying abroad by 2033.
The Japanese Government has announced plans to significantly expand stipends for Japanese students studying abroad.
Starting in April, stipends will be offered to 30,000 Japanese students, representing a 70 percent increase from current levels.
The initiative comes in response to a recommendation made by a government panel in April, which set an ambitious target of having 500,000 Japanese students studying abroad by 2033.
The goal is designed to enhance Japan’s global presence, with a particular focus on education. Before the pandemic, only 222,000 Japanese students were studying abroad.
To fund this expansion, the Ministry of Education has requested a budget allocation of 11.4 billion yen (approximately $78 million) in the upcoming fiscal year. This funding will be earmarked for extending stipends and increasing support for students pursuing education overseas.
“We intend to first enhance the support for students who study abroad for the short term to medium term for the purpose of fostering the momentum toward studying abroad,” revealed a source connected to the education ministry.
Support for exchange programs and short-term stays
Under the new scheme, students participating in exchange programs and other short-term stays overseas will receive stipends of up to 100,000 yen per month. This represents a substantial increase from the approximately 16,900 students receiving stipends this fiscal year.
Additionally, Japanese undergraduate and graduate students seeking degrees at foreign universities will also benefit from the expanded initiative. The number of recipients in these categories will increase to over 700 in the next fiscal year from the current 600.
Undergraduate degree seekers will receive stipends of up to 118,000 yen a month, while those pursuing graduate degrees will receive up to 148,000 yen a month. The national government plans to collaborate with local authorities to support high school graduates who choose to attend universities abroad immediately.
Barriers to overseas study
One significant barrier to studying abroad for Japanese students has been financial constraints. Citing a 2018 Cabinet Office survey of 1,000 young people, the report also revealed that over half of them did not consider studying abroad, citing economic reasons and a lack of language skills as primary barriers. In contrast, only 20 percent of respondents in South Korea and the U.S. expressed similar concerns.
The Japanese government aims to dramatically increase the number of students seeking degrees overseas, targeting 150,000 by 2033, up from just 42,000 in 2020. This would surpass the number of degree-seeking international students from France (100,000), the US (109,000), and Germany (123,000).
Recognizing the importance of inspiring interest in studying abroad at the secondary school level, the government plans to dispatch coordinators to high schools to provide information about opportunities to study abroad and formulate plans.
Welcoming international students in Japan
The government panel in April also recommended increasing the number of international students studying in Japan to 400,000 annually, up from the pre-pandemic level of 318,000.
To achieve this, the Japan Student Services Organization will establish a dedicated department to formulate strategies for attracting potential international students based on trends and data from target countries.
Currently, international students make up only 5 percent of all tertiary education students in Japan, a far lower proportion than in countries like the U.K. (20 percent) and Australia (30 percent).
Furthermore, in a meeting back in May, Group of Seven education ministers stressed the importance of restoring and expanding cross-border student mobility between the G7 countries.
Japan’s education ministry plans to collaborate with the G7 to develop joint university education programs with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and expand grants to international students from these countries.
