Japan to Certify Universities & Lure Talented International Students

As part of its efforts to promote internationalization, the Japanese government plans to establish a system to recognize universities in the country promoting global initiatives.

Japan also aims to expand the number of Japanese students abroad to 500,000 by 2033, Erudera.com reports.

This is the first time the government is introducing a certification system that will enable Japanese universities to strengthen their ties with their counterparts abroad.

At the same time, this initiative is also expected to help the country’s universities attract international talents.

Previously, there was no framework allowing the government to certify institutions that actively support programs that have an international impact, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

At the same time, the country’s authorities want to increase the number of international students in Japan to 400,000 by 2033. This was proposed earlier last year by the Council for the Creation of Future Education in the Cabinet Secretariat.

While announcing the plans on March 27 last year, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio highlighted the importance of further promoting investments in human capital to achieve a new model of capitalism.

He also mentioned investments in start-ups, saying there are many talented launching their own companies.

“Changes are happening on the ground in Japan. Instead of taking conventional jobs at large corporations, many brilliant university students are launching their own start-ups after graduation,” Fumio added.

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has been allocating funding to universities cooperating with prestigious institutions worldwide since 2014.

Local media reported that 37 schools had received funding under the “Top Global University Project.” These institutions include the University of Tokyo, Hokkaido University, Keio University, and Waseda University.

The number of classes offered in foreign languages nearly tripled in the fiscal year 2022 compared to 2013. Similarly, an increase was recorded in the number of Japanese students abroad, which has almost doubled.

Data by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) indicate that more than 100,000 Japanese university students moved abroad to pursue higher education during the fiscal year 2019.

On the other hand, the country hosted about 310,000 international students in the same year, which declined in 2021 to 240,000 students.

According to the Times Higher Education’s rankings, Tohoku University was the first among the top seven universities in Japan last year, followed by the University of Tokyo and Osaka University. Other institutions in the top seven include:

• Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Kyoto University
• Kyushu University
• Hokkaido University