On February 17, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced that, starting in the 2026 academic year, it would allow 11 faculties at three universities—Tohoku University, the University of Tsukuba, and Hiroshima University— to expand their enrollment quotas for international students under special exemptions. In granting the exemptions, the ministry required universities to meet eligibility criteria such as enrollment rates and sound financial management. While not mandatory, it also asked them to clarify their policies on potential tuition increases aimed at enhancing academic quality and strengthening student support systems.

National universities have discretion to set tuition fees, but they cannot charge more than 1.2 times the government-set standard annual tuition of 535,800 yen. However, last year the government lifted this ceiling on tuition for international students. In response, Tohoku University announced that it will raise tuition to 900,000 yen, roughly 1.7 times the standard amount, for students entering in or after the 2027 academic year. The University of Tsukuba and Hiroshima University have also decided to raise their tuition fees. In 2024, the total number of international students in Japan reached 336,708, about 90% of whom were from Asian countries. The number of prospective students from emerging and developing countries is also increasing. Universities are expected to direct the increased tuition revenue toward international-student assistance programs while promoting support frameworks in partnership with local communities.

As noted above, recent policy initiatives concerning international students may invite criticism that “overseas students are given preferential treatment, while Japanese students are left behind.” In fact, the government has allocated a total of 27.1 billion yen in public funding to expand the intake of international students, including 18.5 billion yen for the 11,157 government-sponsored international students (FY2025 budget request figure, according to MEXT.) By contrast, financial support for Japanese students amounts to 195.4 billion yen in non-repayable grants, bringing the total to 1,061.3 billion yen when loan-type scholarships are included. (FY2025 budget, according to the Japan Student Services Organization). The number of recipients is roughly 180 times that of government-sponsored international students. Fundamentally, these support measures serve different purposes: one is designed to ensure that academically qualified students do not forgo higher education for financial reasons, while the other aims to attract talented students from abroad.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the number of international students in the United States totaled 1.27 million in 2025, a 13.5% decrease from the previous year. The number of students from Japan also fell by 10%, remaining at 28,000. Needless to say, this decline reflects the Trump administration’s immigration policies and stricter entry controls. Meanwhile, the Japanese government has set out a plan to increase the number of international students to 400,000 by 2033. In this respect, now is an opportune moment. Yet the true goal lies beyond merely reaching the target of “400,000.” The ultimate objective is to build a society in which these students can envision their futures in Japan as their arena even after graduation. Only when this goal is realized can those young and talented individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds become a driving force for Japan’s growth.

This Week’s Focus, February 15 - 19, 2026
Takashi Mizukoshi, the President