Foreign students finally returning to Japanese universities

Aug 30 (AsiaNews) - Many foreign students have returned to their Japanese universities for the first time in two years, bringing campuses back to a level of energy last seen before the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic-related restrictions on the entry of foreigners began to be relaxed in March, and about 115,000 foreign students had entered Japan as of the end of July.

Universities have also been making their lectures more international.

One university, for example, has asked professors at overseas institutions to give lectures online, drawing on experience with online classes that was acquired during the coronavirus crisis.

As Japan reopened its doors to foreign students later than other countries, some potential students instead went to South Korea or elsewhere.

The number of foreign students in Japan was about 312,000 in May 2019, but this fell to about 242,000 in May 2021.

The government decided to resume accepting foreign students in March this year. It also established a system to accept foreign students separately from its quotas on other foreign nationals who want to enter Japan.

By the end of July, a total of 115,155 foreign nationals had entered Japan with student visas. ...continue reading

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