On the Provision of Information concerning the 2011 Great Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake to International Students

March 22,2011

1. Current Status

 Of the 141,774 international students (as of May 1, 2010) enrolled in Japanese universities and other institutions, 8,789 attend schools in Miyagi, Fukushima and other Prefectures where the earthquake topped 6-Upper on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, 15,981 attend schools in Iwate, Gunma and other Prefectures that recorded tremors up to 6-Lower on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, and 52,414 go to schools in Aomori, Akita, Tokyo and other Prefectures that reached 5-Upper on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. MEXT is currently investigating the situation.

2. Provision of Information

• To ensure that students obtain accurate information which allows them to respond calmly to the situation, MEXT is providing earthquake information on its Japanese homepage (http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/saigaijohou/index.htm) and its English homepage (http://www.mext.go.jp/english/incident/index.htm).
• The Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) and individual universities are also making information available. The Osaka University Research Institute for World Languages (http://riwl-disaster.info/) and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research (http://www.tufs.ac.jp/blog/ts/g/cemmer/2011/03/post_172.html) are providing multilingual information.
• JASSO has also opened a consultation hotline for international students.
  Great Tohoku Pacific Earthquake International Student Consultation Hotline: 03-5520-6036

3. Handling Students and Their Studies

• To aid all domestic and international students affected by this earthquake in their academic endeavors, including graduation, Senior Vice Minister of MEXT Kan Suzuki issued the "Notification of Due Consideration for Students Stricken by the 2011 Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake" to the Presidents of all of Japan's universities on March 14, 2011. This notice called for the following: (1) utilization of university financial aid systems, (2) flexible handling of the payment deadline of tuition fees, (3) flexible measures concerning approval of credits and (4) responses to the mental health of all students.
• The verification of enrollment (a requirement for scholarship receipt) of affected recipients of the Japanese Government Scholarship and the Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students will be handled in a flexible manner.
• Measures have been taken by respective universities and schools, including the following, to adjust the intake dates for Japanese Government Scholarship students scheduled to come to Japan in April.
• Undergraduate students coming to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Osaka University:
    By 4/6 (current) → By 4/17 (revised)
• Japan Student Services Organization Tokyo International Exchange Center:
    By 4/4 (current) → By 4/18 (revised)
• Bunka Institute of Language:
    By 4/3 (current) → By 4/16 (revised)