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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > FY2003 White Paper on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology >Part1 Chapter2 Section4.4

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Part 1   Higher Education to Support a Knowledge-Based Society Full of Creative Vitality - New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Chapter 2   New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Section 4   Further Improvements to Education and Research
4   New Development of Policies for Foreign Students


MEXT has previously carried out a variety of measures based on the so-called "Plan to Accept 100,000 Foreign Students," which aimed for the acceptance of 100,000 foreign students by the beginning of the 21st century, based on the "Proposals Concerning Foreign Student Policy in the 21st Century" of August 1983. Specifically, MEXT is expanding the acceptance of foreign students and implementing comprehensive foreign student policies, through work to develop and improve the environment for foreign students, such as by systematically developing the acceptance of Japanese government scholarship students, providing support to privately financed foreign students, promoting foreign student mutual exchange (acceptance and dispatch), improving education and research guidance for foreign students and so on (refer to Part II, Chapter 10, Section 1, 3).

Against this background, to respond to the forecast that the acceptance of foreign students would exceed 100,000 in FY2003 (this figure was actually reached during FY2003) and concerns about quality that have resulted from the rapid increase in the acceptance of foreign students in recent years, in November 2002 the International Student Section (Chairman: Tsutomu Kimura, President of the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation) was established under the auspices of the Subcommittee on Universities of the Central Council for Education. Deliberations were held on ideal new policies for foreign students, and the report of the International Student Section was completed in December 2003.

The report recommended policies to be realized over the next five years, a period during which the number of foreign students to Japan is forecasted to increase by 30,000.

Firstly, as a basic direction for a new foreign student policy, the report stated that it is necessary to:1) promote overseas study by Japanese students placing more importance on mutual exchange rather than focusing on accepting more foreign students as previously; 2) improve the foreign student acceptance system and ensure the quality of foreign students; and 3) strengthen the support system by establishing the Japan Students Services Organization and through other measures.

Furthermore, the report recommended the following specific policies: 1) establishment of a long-term overseas study system making it possible for Japanese students to obtain degrees at overseas universities and other overseas higher education institutions; and 2) improvement of centers for strengthening information provision and consultation functions overseas. The report also called for universities to: 1) formulate specific policies for foreign student acceptance and dispatch; and 2) implement thorough enrolment management for foreign students, among other policies ( Figure 1-2-18 ).

In future MEXT will improve foreign student policies with the aims of expanding foreign student exchange and improving the quality of foreign students, based on the report of the Central Council for Education.

Figure 1-2-18 Main Points of the Report


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