Japanese media reported that Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology plans to relax the number of international students that universities can recruit, hoping to increase the proportion of international students in Japanese undergraduate majors, which will help Japan’s growth and improve education and research levels.

The Yomiuri Shimbun quoted sources as saying that the authorities plan to implement it in the next academic year starting in April 2026.

The report said that the proportion of international students in Japanese universities is lower than that of universities in other major countries. Under the current system, when the total number of universities, including international students, exceeds a certain proportion of the enrollment limit, they will be punished, and the punishment measures include reducing government subsidies.