Session 2

Higher Education and International Mobility of

Graduates

International Mobility of Students

in Japan
p
Mitsuhide SHIRAKI, Ph.D.
Professor,

F
Faculty
lt off Political
P liti l S
Science
i
and
dE
Economics,
i

Waseda University
January
y 27th,, 2014

The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Asian
p
Bank (ADB),
(
), its Board of Directors,, or the governments
g
they
y represent.
p
ADBI does
Development
not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for
any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB
official terms.

GOVERNMENT STANCE FOR HIGHLY

SKILLED MIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS (1)
1 Open
1.
O
acceptance
t
off highly
hi hl skilled
kill d fforeigners
i
without any labor market tests and the
limitation of the number
2 The introduction of points-based
2.
points based Preferential
Immigration Treatment for Highly Skilled
Foreign
g Professionals from May
y 7,, 2012,, for
the purpose to promote entry of highly skilled
foreign professionals

GOVERNMENT STANCE FOR HIGHLY

SKILLED MIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS (2)
3 Policy
3.
P li development
d
l
t for
f th
the acceptance
t
off
foreign students;
1983: the plan to accept 100,000 international
students >>> the goal was achieved in 2003
2010: The New Growth Strategy to aim to
accept 300,000 international students by 2020
>>> still halfway ?

WHY JAPAN NEED FOREIGN TALENT

OR HIGHLY EDUCATED PEOPLE ?
Demand side reasons
1. The

war for talent in the global competition

arena
2. For the promotion of diversity and
innovation within organization
g
3. For the promotion of globalization of
operations

WHY JAPAN NEEDS FOREIGN TALENT

AND HIGHLY EDUCATED PEOPLE ?
Supply side reasons
1. The

decrease of Japanese population and its

aging
2. Inward mindset of Japanese young people
and students

TREND MOVEMENT
Rising awareness of the lack of globally
competitive human resources in Japan
The urgent needs of global human resource
development
p
in both business and university
y
The increasing
g number of business demand in
the last several years for both the Japanese
students who study abroad and the foreign
students who study in Japan

Trends in Number of International Students by

Institutional Type (As of each May 1)

International Students in Japan

(By Region of Origin,
Origin as of 1 May,
May 2009)
Region
Asia

Number of Students
(persons)
122,464

%
92.3%

Europe

4 033
4,033

3 0%
3.0%

North America

2,575

1.9%

Central & South America

1 050
1,050

0 8%
0.8%

Oceania

516

0.4%

Middle and Near East

923

0 7%
0.7%

1,159

0.9%

132,720

100.0%

Africa
TOTAL

International Students in Japan

(By Field of Study
Study, As of May 1
1, 2009)
Field of Study
Humanities
Social Sciences
Art
Engineering

Number of Students
(persons)
32,954
50,620
4,130
20,713

%
24.8%
38.1%
3.1%
15.6%

Agriculture

2,934

2.2%

Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy

Science

2,877
1,694

2.2%
1.3%

16,798

12.7%

132,720

100.0%

Others
TOTAL

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING STUDENTS RATIO OF

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IS 17%.
17%
THAT RATIO OF JAPANESE STUDENTS IS 21-22%.

International Student Ratio Comparison

International Students (number of acceptance) / Students
enrolled in institutions of higher education
Country

Australia

33.4%

U.K.

27.0%

France

12.0%

Germany

12.0%

U.S.A.

6.0%

Japan

3.8%

THE RATIOS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE

3 93%(2012) 3
3.93%(2012),
3.95%(2010):
95%(2010):
UNDERGRADUATE: 2.8% (2012), 2.8%(2010)
GRADUATE
GRADUATE:
15.1%
5 % (2012),14.4%(2010)
(20 2) 4 4%(20 0)

THE WAYS TO RETAIN INTERNATIONAL

STUDENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.

Employment
Scholarship
Teaching language
Cultural and residential attractiveness

CAREER OPTIONS OF
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AFTER
GRADUATION IN FY2008
The total number of g
graduates in 2009: 36,271
persons
25.3% of these graduates have found a job in Japan
38.7% went up to higher education
23.2% went back to their home country, only 1.2%
went to third countries
11.6% in other activities (including those still trying
to find a job after graduation)
>> So, 41.3% (25.3/(100.0-38.7)), or eventually 60.2%
((25 3 11 6)/(100 0 38 7)) off them
((25.3+11.6)/(100.0-38.7))
h
ffound
d a jjob
b iin
Japan

Trend in numbers of Japanese expatriates

250,000
200,000

Asia

North
America

West
Europe

Total

150 000
150,
100 000
100,
50,000

`0
8

`0
6

`0
4

`0
2

`0
0

`9
8

`9
6

0
15

DETERMINANTS OF
ACHIEVEMENT OF
EXPATRIATES MISSIONS
EXPATRIATES
For the achievement of their missions from our
positive research, not only competencies such
as management skills, leadership, and crosscultural literacy, but also, working abroad
experiences are effective factors
Working abroad experiences when they are
young is so valuable for the productivity of
senior managers
g

CONSENSUS
There is a consensus on the importance of
Global mobilization of students
However,
However

in reality .

The number
Th
b off students
t d t who
h study
t d abroad
b
d
has been growing with slow pace or even
stagnating

Japanese Students Studying Abroad

(By Region
Region, As of 2007)
Region

Number of Students
(Persons)

Asia

23,002

30.6%

Europe

12,345

16.4%

North America

35,585

47.3%

0.0%

4,207

5.6%

12

0.0%

75,156
2001 >> 78,151

100.0%

Central & South America

Oceania
Middle and Near East
Africa
TOTAL

HINDRANCES FOR STUDY

ABROAD
The hindrances of labor markets and household
situations for study abroad
a. A timing gap between study abroad and job search
b Strong
b.
St
bias
bi off companies
i ttoward
d new graduates
d t
c Longer low economic growth in the past and not so
c.
bright prospect of economy in the future at least in
the last 20 years

WHY ? AND IS THERE ANY

MEASURES ??
To feel comfortable staying
y g inside;; A cozy
y little
house, kind parents, convenient life, safety,
delicious foods, old playmates, easiness, etc.
A boiled frog syndrome or
an adaptation
adaptation to Galapagos
Galapagos syndrome

Systematic promotion mechanisms for study abroad

or global exposure should be devised, instead
personall efforts
ff t or mindset
i d t change
h

SOME POLICIES AND MEASURES,

AS EXAMPLES OF SYSTEMATIC
APPROACH
Government promotions of quasi
quasi-new
new graduates
graduates
recruitment for larger corporations
Big push for study abroad program by preparing big
fund for scholarship by government
Larger corporations began to send their young
employees to overseas subsidiaries as trainees
The number of teaching in English courses is
increasing rapidly in universities through the
government promotion for globalization

Thank you for your kind attention !