Japan’s internationalisation drive to relax student enrolment limits

The plans were announced at a public meeting late last month, outlining the proposed revisions to the University Establishment Standards, including relaxing enrolment restrictions to “encourage the recruitment of outstanding international students”. 

Education minister Abe Toshiko said doing so was “essential to advancing Japan’s global human resource development”, announcing that the ministry was consulting on plans to allow certain institutions to exceed the enrolment limits currently in place. 

“As an exception, certified faculties will be allowed to exceed their enrolment capacity to a certain extent, and we have just begun a public comment session,” said Toshiko.

The proposals would allow some universities, junior colleges and technical colleges to surpass their enrolment thresholds by 5% for next academic year, starting in April 2026. 

Accepting more outstanding international students from diverse countries and regions… is essential to advancing Japan’s global human resource development

Abe Toshiko, MEXT

Existing restrictions are based on factors such as institution size, with universities facing penalties including the loss of state subsidies if they are exceeded.  

Under the changes, institutions must submit recruitment plans to MEXT outlining how they will manage international enrolments and sustain high continuation rates. 

It is understood that only universities with strong finances and no previous rule violations will be considered for the exemption.  

The change is the latest drive towards achieving the government’s ambitious goal of attracting 400,000 international students by 2033.  

Last year, the number of international students in Japan rose by 20% on the previous year to reach near-pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO).