Japan has recorded a significant rise in the number of foreign students choosing to study in the country.
According to the latest figures from the Japan Student Services Organisation (Jasso), the number of international students in the country increased by 12 per cent last year. This took the number of overseas students studying there to 267,042.
Much of the increase was fuelled by students from other Asian countries. In fact, the 10 countries that sent the most international students to Japan were all located in Asia.
China was home to the largest share with 107,260 students, followed by Vietnam (61,671), Nepal (21,500) and South Korea (15,740).
Speaking to the Japanese Times, a Jasso official said that a rise in the number of Japanese companies operating in other nations in Asia has led to “people in the region feeling familiar with [the idea of] studying or working in Japan.”
Studying in Japan offers foreign students a great chance of obtaining permanent residency in the country. Last year the country’s government moved to relax requirements for permanent residency for highly skilled workers in a bid to attract more immigrants.
Part of these changes mean that skilled non-Japanese workers only now have to stay in the country for one year before being eligible for residency, instead of five. This means that foreign students already studying in the country will meet the criteria and can easier be retained by potential employers.
International students studying in Japan also score high on the country’s immigration points test as they get points for graduating from Japanese colleges and universities.
Article published 5th January 2017