Japan's education ministry will allow three universities to accept international students above their enrollment caps under its new exemption system to attract global talent amid intensifying global competition.
A total of 11 faculties at Tohoku University, the University of Tsukuba and Hiroshima University will be able to boost foreign student numbers from fiscal 2026 starting April, in the first granting of exemptions since the system was introduced last year, the ministry said.
The faculties are the Faculty of Science at Tohoku University, seven schools including humanities and culture at the University of Tsukuba, and three science-related faculties at Hiroshima University.
The measure is aimed at nurturing global talent to enhance Japan's competitiveness, as the race to attract outstanding overseas students intensifies.
Universities face penalties for exceeding their enrollment caps, posing challenges to the active acceptance of international students. Faculties certified for the special exemption can raise their maximum enrollments by 5 percent above their caps.
Requirements for certification include maintaining an enrollment rate of at least 90 percent and stable financial conditions. Three out of eight universities that applied last fall were granted the special exemption following screening by experts.
© KYODO
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BigP
Chasing money ¥¥¥. Not higher. Education. .
MarkX
Ha, this is so funny, coming right on the heels of the Tsukuba Assistant Professor saying that most overseas students were incompetent and trouble makers, and now we see his university getting more of them. Good luck prof. you are getting a whole bunch more of troublemakers!
sakurasuki
@BigP
Exactly, also the past few years Japan universities are struggling to attract students amid the declining birth rate.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15480870
https://japantoday.com/category/have-your-say/a-record-59-of-private-universities-in-japan-failed-to-meet-their-enrollment-quotas-this-past-spring-due-to-the-country's-declining-birthrate.-what-do-you-think-this-means-for-universities-in-japan-in-the-future
.
Why is that university from the news yesterday? So that policy is that supported by all faculty members?
https://japantoday.com/category/national/associate-professor-at-tsukuba-univ.-found-posting-discriminatory-remarks
GuruMick
The rot starts....at the Uni,s with foreign students.
Wake up Japan....you are witnessing the Nippon Great Replacement in practice , not theory.
PS....why is this news ?
99% of world Unis accept foreign students.
Hint...Universities in Bulgaria do and they are virtually fee free.
Spitfire
Having one’s cake and eating it.
Mr Kipling
They massively expanded the number of universities in the 80's, 90's and early 20's, there are now 704 in Japan. All the time knowing that the number of students was going to fall off a cliff. Of those 704, only about 30 are worth going to.
shogun36
Why have any cap?
Aren't all Japanese universities in need of students, regardless of where their bank accounts come from?
HopeSpringsEternal
More proof, demographics is destiny, Japan's universities textbook example of what not to do. It's only schools strong in sciences and tech. that can hope to appeal to global talent, because science and tech. = global culture
Few can afford 'invest' in a Japanese per say, especially students, because it's disappearing so rapidly, +25% of JNs will either turn 80 or pass before 2040
Seigi
Sanseito will be very unhappy with this.
ian
There's always a limit to the number that can be accommodated by each institution. And some institutions are more in demand than others so qualified applicants may exceed the number that can be accommodated.
If the institutions feel they can handle more above the cap then they can apply for exemption
Gambi
A recent golden thought from Tsukuba Uni sensei (sports physiology?):
"これは私の経験から本当にそう。日本の大学に来る外国人は、だいたい能力が低く、トラブルメーカーが多いです。", which roughly translates to:
"This is truly the case based on my experience. Foreigners who come to Japanese universities generally have low ability and there are many troublemakers among them."
He added that he generally ignores emails from foreign researchers he doesn’t know personally, and only interacts with those he’s met at conferences—people whose background and training he understands.
His observations may reflect genuine experiences. In the early 2000s, Japanese universities were urged to become more financially independent, launching subsidized programs for foreign students with relaxed admission standards. This weakened academic rigor and attracted less capable candidates, while stronger students often left or resisted, gaining a “troublemaker” label.
Ironically, the professor might now face punishment for “obstructing business,” though his comments openly highlight systemic problems.
ian
Obviously wrong.
He generalized foreigners who come to Japanese universities based only on his personal experience.
How many foreigners who come to Japanese universities you think he actually interacted with
Gambi
Once, I had a conversation with a Japanese professor from a provincial national university. He told me that the large programs for foreign students make him uneasy because those graduates might later seek jobs in Japan. His dilemma was that brighter foreign students could outcompete Japanese candidates for good positions, while less capable ones would be of little use.
Gambi
ian:
Looking at his publication list, I see two types of papers: (a) older ones coauthored with foreigners who were likely his mentors or peers, and (b) newer ones written with Japanese colleagues. This suggests he has no foreign postdocs or graduate students - so the answer is: very few.
Yes, and he may also have some resentments from his time studying abroad.
@Japan Glimpsed
This individual, who might be someone in sports physiology: has he got a name?