- Introduction: The Reality of Long-Term Decline in Overseas Study
- Three Reasons Why Overseas Study Continues to Decline
- “Seeing” Information and “Being” There Are Completely Different
- The “Reverse Flow” Seen in Visa Practice
- The Irreversible Shift to a Multicultural Society
- More Important Than Language Skills: “The Experience of Trying to Build Relationships in a Place Where Language Does Not Work”
- Government Goals and Current Support Measures
- Value That Cannot Be Measured by “Cost-Performance”
- What I Want to Convey as a Visa Practice Specialist
- What Japan Needs Going Forward
- Conclusion: Toward a Japan That Is “Connected to the World,” Not “Inward-Looking”
Introduction: The Reality of Long-Term Decline in Overseas Study
After reading an article in the Yomiuri Shimbun about the decline in overseas study among Japanese students, I felt compelled to articulate what I have been observing daily in my immigration practice.
The number of Japanese university students studying abroad dropped from 115,000 in fiscal year 2018 to 91,000 in fiscal year 2024. Even after the pandemic, the numbers have not recovered, and long-term study abroad programs have been in decline for over a decade.
Even more striking is the survey finding that over half of young people aged 13 to 29 answered that they “do not want to study abroad.”
As an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) specializing in visa applications and status of residence (zairyu shikaku) procedures for foreign nationals, I work daily with young people from around the world who come to Japan wanting to “study in Japan” or “work in Japan.”
While Japanese youth are increasingly not going abroad, young people from around the world are coming to Japan—within this contrasting flow, I see both the challenges and opportunities that Japanese society will face in the coming years.
Three Reasons Why Overseas Study Continues to Decline
① Weak Yen and Inflation
As highlighted in the article, the weak yen and inflation have become major barriers to studying abroad. The exchange rate, which was 110 yen per dollar in 2018, now exceeds 160 yen.
In the United States, the cost of living has skyrocketed due to inflation, and it is not uncommon for universities to charge over 10 million yen per year in tuition alone. Under these circumstances, studying abroad is simply not realistic for children from average households.
While scholarship programs are being expanded, the barriers created by exchange rates and prices cannot be overcome by institutional measures alone.
② Earlier and Prolonged Job Hunting
Another significant factor is the earlier start and prolonged nature of job hunting (shukatsu). In recent years, Japan has been in a seller’s market, with intensified competition among companies for talent. As a result, recruitment activities have moved forward, and many students are caught up in job hunting from their third year of university.
The timing for studying abroad is lost, and anxiety about “possibly being disadvantaged in job hunting” prevents young people from taking on overseas challenges.
③ “Inward-Looking” Mentality and the Belief That “You Can See the World Through Videos”
The article analyzes that Japan’s prolonged economic stagnation has fostered an “inward-looking” mentality among young people.
Furthermore, with the spread of the internet, there is a growing sense that “one can learn about foreign countries through videos without having to actually go abroad.” Additionally, in an era that emphasizes “cost-performance” (kosupa) and “time-performance” (taipa), studying abroad may be judged as “not worth it.”
I believe this notion that “you can see the world through videos” is the most significant problem.
“Seeing” Information and “Being” There Are Completely Different
Sensory Memories Do Not Exist on Screens
“Seeing” information and “being” there in person are completely different things.
When I was 16, I participated in a high school exchange program and stayed with a host family in Michigan, USA. I was an ordinary high school student from rural Saitama who had never even been on an airplane. The world existed on television, something separate from my own life—that was how I lived.
That one-month experience shattered everything.
The humidity, smell, and sounds when stepping off the plane.
The anxiety that chilled me from my feet when I couldn’t communicate.
The sense of something loosening in my heart when I finally got through with gestures.
The cereal box as big as a detergent box that I ate with my host family.
The family praying at church on Sunday morning.
For my 16-year-old self, all of it was shocking.
“There are people in the world living by such different rules.”
That simple fact, learned not with my head but with my eyes, ears, tongue, and skin, in one month.
Nearly 30 years have passed since then. I have since visited over 25 countries and lived in Italy for five years as a working professional. Yet, the memory of that first experience in Michigan remains the most vivid.
The Value of Sensory Experience Increases in the AI Era
The size of a cereal box, if seen in a photo, ends with “that’s big.” But the sensation of holding it with my own hands, pouring it into my bowl, and eating it with my host family that morning cannot be digitized.
Such experiences involving all five senses absolutely do not exist on screens. No matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replace this experience.
And it is these experiences that change people.
In an era when information is abundantly available through AI, paradoxically, the value of sensory, real-life experiences has never been higher. I believe this deeply.
The “Reverse Flow” Seen in Visa Practice
Young People from Around the World Who Want to Come to Japan
The young foreign nationals I encounter daily come to Japan with strong hopes and aspirations. They overcome language barriers, navigate complex visa procedures on their own, and pay high tuition and living expenses while striving to “study in Japan” or “work in Japan.”
Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and European countries—their origins are diverse, but what they share is a “strong will to move forward.”
The Difference Between “Those Who Know the Outside” and “Those Who Do Not” Appears in Compassion
Through my work as an administrative scrivener, I have come to one firm conviction.
That is, “Japanese who have been abroad” and “Japanese who have not” approach foreign nationals in completely different ways.
Those who know the outside accept cultural differences as “differences.” Greetings, sense of time, family values, relationship with religion, contract concepts—they build relationships understanding that these are “different from their own norms.”
On the other hand, those with little overseas experience unconsciously use “Japanese ways as the standard” as their yardstick. Differences appear as “abnormal,” “inconvenient,” or “lacking common sense,” and tolerance is hard to develop.
This is not a matter of individual character but a matter of experience. Without experience, one cannot even imagine. This is inevitable.
The Irreversible Shift to a Multicultural Society
The Reality of Niseko
Niseko, where I am based, is a region where foreign nationals and Japanese work and live together. In the tourism, accommodation, and restaurant industries, foreign staff have become indispensable.
In winter, skiers from around the world gather, and more than half of the town’s language becomes English. Restaurant staff, hotel employees, real estate companies, construction sites—foreign nationals work everywhere. It is not uncommon for business owners themselves to be foreign nationals.
This is not “what Japan might become in the future” but “what Japan already is.”
The Skills Needed for Japan’s Future
Declining birthrate, aging population, population decline, labor shortages—these are progressing as undeniable realities. Situations where many industries cannot function without foreign workers have already emerged.
And this trend will not stop. It will accelerate.
If so, young people living in Japan from now on will study, work, and live together with foreign nationals in workplaces, schools, and communities, even without going abroad. This is not a choice but a given condition.
If one is suddenly forced into coexistence without experience of encountering different cultures, it is painful for the person themselves, and also painful for the foreign nationals. Society as a whole experiences greater friction.
Conversely, if one experiences the outside world even once while young, a foundation forms where “differences are natural” and “differences are interesting.” People with this foundation can live robustly and flexibly in a multicultural society.
In a Japan where the population is declining and the structure of society is changing, living authentically and strongly—I believe the most important skill for this is “tolerance toward different cultures.” And this quality must be seeded while the mind is still flexible in youth; otherwise, it is difficult to cultivate.
More Important Than Language Skills: “The Experience of Trying to Build Relationships in a Place Where Language Does Not Work”
Skills More Important Than Language Proficiency
I especially hope that young people will venture into the outside world.
Please do not misunderstand—this is not a story about “acquiring language skills.”
Of course, language skills are convenient. But what is truly important is not language itself but “the experience of trying to build relationships with people in a place where language does not work.”
My English proficiency at 16 was, frankly, not praiseworthy. Grammar was a mess, vocabulary was poor, pronunciation lacked confidence. Yet, my host family welcomed me as family, and I tried to communicate with gestures as best I could.
Even when I couldn’t communicate, I tried to do something. Making mistakes, laughing, feeling apologetic, yet trying to find connection with the other person. This persistence and flexibility later become assets when working and living with foreign nationals in Japan.
Even if one has language skills, without this experience, it is often difficult to succeed in multicultural settings. Conversely, even with broken language, those who have this experience gain trust in any setting.
Government Goals and Current Support Measures
Sending 500,000 People Abroad Annually by 2033
The government has set a goal of sending 500,000 people abroad annually by 2033, including short-term study programs for high school students. The aim is to nurture diverse talent and enhance Japan’s international competitiveness.
To this end, efforts are underway to establish grant-based scholarship programs that do not require repayment, and to solicit donations from private companies to provide funds to students studying abroad.
People Cannot Be Moved by Systems Alone
However, systems and scholarships alone cannot move people. What is essential is creating an environment where young people can feel that “overseas experience expands their options.”
As touched upon in the article, students who experience short-term study abroad while in high school are more likely to aim for overseas universities. Creating opportunities for that first step is what future support needs to focus on.
Value That Cannot Be Measured by “Cost-Performance”
Challenges in Youth Are Investments That Enrich One’s Entire Life
The article points out that we are in an era that emphasizes “cost-performance” and “time-performance.” It is true that studying abroad costs money and time. Immediate “results” may not be visible.
However, challenges taken in youth are investments that enrich one’s entire life. They form a “foundation” that gradually takes effect throughout one’s subsequent life.
Whether it is short-term study, homestay, working holiday, or backpacking—any form is fine. Whether during student years or after becoming a working professional, the form does not matter. What matters is having the experience of touching the outside world with one’s own five senses, somewhere in life—preferably while young.
This is not an exaggeration. It becomes foundational strength for living in Japan’s future.
What I Want to Convey as a Visa Practice Specialist
“Life Choices” Seen from the Field of Foreign National Support
Through visa applications and status of residence (zairyu shikaku) support, I have been involved in the “life choices” of many foreign nationals.
Visas and statuses of residence are not goals. They are merely entry points for individuals to start new lives in Japan.
That is why I want to be not just a document preparer, but a “companion” who understands each person’s life and goals and works together to figure out how to achieve them.
I Also Want Japanese Youth to “See the Outside World”
Similarly, I hope that Japanese youth will also “see the outside world.”
By going abroad, your possibilities expand. What was taken for granted in Japan may not work in other countries. The reverse is also true. Such experiences relativize yourself and help you grow more flexibly and resiliently.
What Japan Needs Going Forward
① Put a Brake on the Earlier Start of Job Hunting
The earlier start of job hunting is robbing students of the timing to study abroad. Companies also need to take a long-term perspective in evaluating talent. People with overseas experience will eventually become assets that support companies’ international expansion.
② Further Expansion of Scholarship Programs
The impact of the weak yen and inflation cannot be fully offset by systems alone. However, to reduce the number of young people who must give up on overseas challenges for financial reasons, further expansion of grant-based scholarships is necessary.
③ Communicate the “Value of Overseas Experience”
Most importantly, we need to communicate the value of overseas experience more concretely. Through the voices of those who have studied abroad, the stories of Japanese working overseas, and real-life examples of workplaces where Japanese and foreign nationals work together—through these, we should convey the meaning of “seeing the outside world.”
Conclusion: Toward a Japan That Is “Connected to the World,” Not “Inward-Looking”
Overseas study has been in decline for over a decade, while more young people from around the world are coming to Japan. Within this contrasting flow lie both the challenges and possibilities of Japanese society going forward.
In my visa practice, I work to support the “life choices” of foreign nationals. At the same time, I hope that Japanese youth will also “see the outside world.”
Creating a society that can support both Japanese going abroad and foreign nationals coming to Japan—I believe this is the attitude Japan needs going forward.
Support that is rooted in the local community while connected to the world. That is the form of “accompaniment” I aim for.
Article URL:
https://www.msn.com/ja-jp/news/national/海外留学の低迷
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