Japan paves way for Big foreign influx

By John Greenlees

Overseas student numbers in Japan have soared by 32 per cent in just one year, the ministry of education has revealed. There are now 41,000 foreign students at higher education institutions in the country. The new figures from the ministry (Monbusho) indicate steady progress towards the government's target of 100,000 foreign students studying in Japan by the end of the decade. They include students undertaking specialised courses at vocational schools as well as those attending junior colleges, universities and graduate schools. The number of foreign students enrolled for university degree and postgraduate courses now stands at 16,177 and 12,383 respectively. The University of Tokyo, the country's highest ranked university, and Waseda University, one of the country's top private schools, are the two most popular destinations. One thousand one hundred and sixty-one foreign students are studying at the University of Tokyo and 1,061 foreign students are studying at Waseda University. The Monbusho's survey shows that 91 per cent of Japan's foreign students are from the nearby Asian countries of China, South Korea and Taiwan. The contingent of 18,063 Chinese students represents the largest national group, accounting for 44 per cent of Japan's total intake of foreign students.

Only 1,180 of Japan's growing number of foreign students are from the United States, a number that the Monbusho would like to see increase. It is also keen to attract more students from the United Kingdom and other European states.

Most of Japan's foreign students are paying their own tuition fees. Only 4,961 students are receiving scholarships from the Japanese government and 1,026 students are sponsored by their own governments. The most popular courses are related to economics, business and finance, followed by engineering and industrial design. Record numbers of foreign scientists are also being recruited by Japanese research laboratories to compensate for the shortfall in Japanese graduates interested in taking up careers in science. The lure of higher wages and more attractive working conditions is encouraging many of Japan's best graduates to take up posts in the business sector. University research is proving an unpopular career option. Low wages, and poor promotion prospects, have discouraged many science graduates from considering careers in academia. Susumu Tonegawa, one of the few Japanese scientists to be awarded a Nobel prize, has repeatedly criticised the inflexible career structures in Japanese research laboratories. In universities, he says, young scientists spend most of their time as assistant researchers running errands for their professors. Careers in science are also associated with long hours in poor working conditions. "Science lacks appeal for Japan's affluent, and increasingly leisure-oriented, young people," says lecturer Noboru Oda.

In spite of efforts to popularise science in the nation's schools, many high school graduates entering higher education are rejecting places in science faculties and opting for courses in the arts and social sciences.

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