Why Japan ticks all boxes

Gurinder Bhatti

Japan has been growing above potential for several quarters, according to the IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton at the recent Asian Financial Forum. The country is one of the leading nations in the fields of technology, machinery, scientific research, and medical research, and is quickly turning out to be an educational hub for international students. 

The expat population living in the country has shown a remarkable growth, and now there are 2.3 million foreigners residing in Japan. The number of international students who enrolled for education in the country as on May 1, 2017 is 2,67,042, which means an increase of 27,755 students as compared to the result of 2016, with majority of them coming from other Asian countries.

The reasons students are flocking to Japan

The country offers an advanced and superior educational system in the fields of science, technology and mathematics than many of its peers. The country has outperformed the US on the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) for several years and its universities are highly sought after for research and development initiatives. Foreign graduates are witnessing an increase in demand in the country, with the Japanese government constantly encouraging subsidised company internships, providing help with finding jobs on graduation and offering additional Japanese language courses, in addition to streamlining the process to get work visas for international students. 

Playing the perfect host

Several employers conduct campus recruitments and pick up foreign graduates for high-salaried jobs in the country. The strong job market for university graduates coupled with the expanding range of career-support services and supportive policies for international students make Japan an emerging study destination. The government has also set its target of reaching 3,00,000 foreign students by 2020, apart from raising the employment rate for its international graduates to 50 per cent.

According to the figures received from the Japan Student Services Organisation (Jasso), there has been a 10 per cent increase in international students in tertiary learning institutes, and a 15 per cent increase in enrolment of foreigners in linguistic academies. Japan attributes its success in increasing foreign enrolments to a number of factors, including the high level of education and specialised training programmes that the country offers. 

One with the world

Also, if we take a look at over 700 Japanese universities in the country, most of them have been increasingly making an effort to build up their academic courses in English in their quest to attract more students from foreign lands. While the cost of living and other expenses such as tuition fees, transport, food... are major concerns before heading to a foreign country, Japan has proved to be affordable as compared to US, UK, and France. The cost of living can be brought down if students opt to stay slightly off the city centres. Some of the student-friendly cities in Japan are Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sapporo.  As of 2017, six universities of Japan have been listed in the Times Higher Education Top 100 World University rankings, and 12 Japanese higher education institutions have earned their position in the Top 100 Asian University Rankings.

Better pay packages

The Japanese economy witnessed its seventh consecutive quarter of growth with the GDP rising by 2.5 per cent in the July-September 2017 quarter. As per reports, there has been speculation on the renewed confidence among investors and small and medium businesses on the demand for skilled workers to fill jobs with raised pay packages. With the Government of Japan focusing on every opportunity to emerge as a top-draw for foreign students along with showing keen interest in growing its international enrolment and boosting employment outcomes for foreign graduates, Japan is soon to become the destination of choice for higher studies amongst foreign students.

The writer is chairman ESS Global