LOSING STEAM: THE DEMISE OF THE “JAPANESE DREAM” AMONG PROSPECTIVE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

<doi>10.24250/jpe/2/2023/AC/</doi>

Abstract

Much like immigration, reasons to study abroad often relate
to push and/or pull factors. Although attractive programs and
courses can be major pulls for some prospective international
students, financial matters such as tuition, living costs, and
pathways to employment also have a significant influence. Since
2010 when Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT) initiated projects and activities
to promote the internationalization of universities, the number of
inbound international students in Japan was steadily increasing,
most of which were coming from East and Southeast Asia. This
trend continued up until around 2018, and, understandably,
rapidly declined in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and
implementation of rigid border restrictions. While the pandemic
undoubtedly played a major part in this downtrend, one cannot
overlook the fact that enrollments and interest in studying in
Japan was already losing steam. With its university rankings
increasingly losing out to competitive universities in China and
Singapore and its relatively low entry-level salaries amid a
long-term recession, which has further been exacerbated by the
weakened yen, the “Japanese dream” is arguably past its prime.
While taking into account the contextual factors which
influenced this trend, my study involved a critical discourse
analysis of MEXT’s ambitious plan to somehow reverse this
trend by bolstering further internationalization, attracting
highly-skilled foreign talent and essentially saving a sinking
ship. The findings from this study may give institutions in the
education and employment sectors an opportunity to reassess
their current support systems and programs for lucrative foreign
talent.