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January 20, 2012

International Students in Japan 2011  Japanese

138,075 international students in Japan as of May 1, 2011, 2.6% down from last year.

 

Number of international students by institutional type
Graduate school
39,749
(1.7％ up)
University (undergraduate)/ Junior college/
College of technology
71,244
(2.0％ down)
Professional training college
25,463
(8.6％ down)
University preparatory course
1,619
(24.3％ down)

 

 

5 major countries / regions of origin
China
87,533
(1.6％ up)
Republic of Korea
17,640
(12.7％ down)
Taiwan
4,571
(13.7％ down)
Vietnam
4,033
(12.1％ up)
Malaysia
2,417
(1.9％ down)

 

Note1: "International student" on this statistics is defined as a student from a foreign country who is receiving education at any Japanese university, graduate school, junior college, college of technology, professional training college or university preparatory courses and who resides in Japan with "college student" visa status, as defined in Annexed Table 1 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.

 

Note 2: "Short-term international student" on this statistics is defined as a student from a foreign country who is receiving education in Japan for a period of one year or less.  The purpose of a student is not necessarily to obtain a degree but rather to study at Japanese university, to experience a different culture, or to master Japanese language.

 

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Trends in Number of International Students by

Number of International Students by

 < References >

1. Trends in Number of International Students by Source of Funds (as of each May 1)

Trends in Number of International Students by Source of Funds

 

Print VersionTrends in Number of International Students by Source of Funds (Print Version: PDF 81KB)

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2. Trends in Number of International Students by Institutional Type (as of each May 1)


Trends in Number of International Students by Institutional Type

 

*Note: "University preparatory courses" are designated by MEXT for students with school education of less than 12 years in foreign countries. Those who completed these courses are qualified to enter Japanese Universities.

 

Print VersionTrends in Number of International Students by Institutional Type (Print Version: PDF 91KB)

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3. Number of International Students by Region of Origin

(Unit: person)

Region Number of students ％ of total Short-term International Students
Number of students ％ of total
Asia 129,163
(130,955)		 93.5％
(92.4)		 6,192
(7,350)		 67.9％
(62.2)
Europe 3,722
(4,390)		 2.7％
(3.1)		 1,597
(2,071)		 17.5％
(17.5)
North America 1,742
(2,706)		 1.3％
(1.9)		 992
(1,902)		 10.9％
(16.1)
Africa 1,136
(1,203)		 0.8％
(0.8)		 58
(69)		 0.6％
(0.6)
Middle and Near East 1,018
(981)		 0.7％
(0.7)		 35
(36)		 0.4％
(0.3)
Central and South America 886
(1,035)		 0.6
(0.7)		 94
(159)		 1.0％
(1.3)
Oceania 408
(504)		 0.3％
(0.4)		 152
(237)		 1.7％
(2.0)
Total 138,075
(141,774)		 100.0％
(100.0)		 9,120
(11,824)		 100.0％
(100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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4. Number of International Students by Nationality
     (1) Number of International Students by Nationality

(Unit: person)

Country/region Number of students ％ of total Country/region Number of students ％ of total
China 87,533 (86,173) 63.4％ (60.8) Germany 393 (554) 0.3％ (0.4)
Republic of Korea 17,640 (20,202 12.8％ (14.2) United Kingdom 364 (452) 0.3％ (0.3)
Taiwan 4,571 (5,297) 3.3％ (3.7) Saudi Arabia 336 (300) 0.2％ (0.2)
Vietnam 4,033 (3,597) 2.9％ (2.5) Russia 331 (358) 0.2％ (0.3)
Malaysia 2,417 (2,465) 1.8％ (1.7) Cambodia 326 (333) 0.2％ (0.2)
Thailand 2,396 (2,429) 1.7％ (1.7) Canada 286 (358) 0.2％ (0.3)
Indonesia 2,162 (2,190) 1.6％ (1.5) Brazil 272 (324) 0.2％ (0.2)
Nepal 2,016 (1,829) 1.5％ (1.3) Laos 248 (275) 0.2％ (0.2)
U.S.A. 1,456 (2,348) 1.1％ (1.7) Egypt 235 (300) 0.2％ (0.2)
Bangladesh 1,322 (1,540) 1.0％ (1.1) Australia 231 (318) 0.2％ (0.2)
Mongolia 1,170 (1,282) 0.8％ (0.9) Iran 229 (235) 0.2％ (0.2)
Myanmar 1,118 (1,093) 0.8％ (0.8) Sweden 193 (212) 0.1％ (0.1)
Sri Lanka 737 (777) 0.5％ (0.5) Uzbekistan 191 (208) 0.1％ (0.1)
India 573 (546) 0.4％ (0.4) Singapore 186 (199) 0.1％ (0.1)
France 530

(705)

 0.4％ (0.5) Others 4,082 (4,351) 3.0％ (3.1)
Philippines 498 (524) 0.4％ (0.4) Total

138,075

 (141,774) 100.0％ (100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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     (2) Number of Short-term International Students by Nationality

(Unit: person)

Country/region Number of students ％ of total Country/region Number of students ％ of total
China
3,434
 (3,605)
37.7％
(30.5)
Netherlands
66
 (74)
0.7％
(0.6)
Republic of Korea
1,205
 (2,012)
13.2％
(17.0)
Italy
55
 (77)
0.6％
(0.7)
U.S.A.
877
 (1,743)
9.6％
(14.7)
Poland
52
 (54)
0.6％
(0.5)
Taiwan
605
 (715)
6.6％
(6.0)
Spain
47
 (42)
0.5％
(0.4)
Thailand
299
 (280)
3.3％
(2.4)
Switzerland
43
 (36)
0.5％
(0.3)
France
274
 (448)
3.0％
(3.8)
Philippines
42
 (60)
0.5％
(0.5)
Germany
256
 (401)
2.8％
(3.4)
Mexico
39
 (57)
0.4％
(0.5)
United Kingdom
233
 (295)
2.6％
(2.5)
Singapore
35
 (70)
0.4％
(0.6)
Indonesia
185
 (187)
2.0％
(1.6)
Norway
35
 (45)
0.4％
(0.4)
Vietnam
149
 (133)
1.6％
(1.1)
Malaysia
33
 (47)
0.4％
(0.4)
Australia
125
 (206)
1.4％
(1.7)
Denmark
31
 (15)
0.3％
(0.1)
Canada
115
 (159)
1.3％
(1.3)
Brazil
29
 (52)
0.3％
(0.4)
Sweden
88
 (110)
1.0％
(0.9)
Myanmar
26
 (32)
0.3％
(0.3)
Russia
83
 (94)
0.9％
(0.8)
New Zealand 
26
 (30)
0.3％
(0.3)
Finland
76
 (88)
0.8％
(0.7)
Others
490
 (572)
5.4％
(4.8)
Mongolia
67
 (85)
0.7％
(0.7)
Total
9,120
 (11,824)
100.0％
(100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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5. Number of International Students by Sex

(Unit: person)

Sex Number of students ％ of total
Male
70,540
(71,736)
51.1％
(50.6)
Female
67,535
(70,038)
48.9％
(49.4)
Total
138,075
(141,774)
100.0％
(100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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6. Number of International Students by Institutional Type

(Unit: person)

  National Local public Private Total
Number of students ％ of total Number of students ％ of total Number of students ％ of total Number of students ％ of total
Graduate school
24,937
62.7％
1,713
4.3％
13,099
33.0％
39,749
100.0％
(24,355)
(62.3)
(1,614)
(4.1)
(13,128)
(33.6)
(39,097)
(100.0)
University (undergraduate)
9,931
14.4％
1,495
2.2％
57,475
83.4％
68,901
100.0％
(10,362)
(14.8)
(1,476)
(2.1)
(58,183)
(83.1)
(70,021)
(100.0)
Junior college
0
0.0％
7
0.4％
1,820
99.6％
1,827
100.0％
(0)
(0.0)
(8)
(0.4)
(2,085)
(99.6)
(2,093)
(100.0)
College of technology
470
91.1％
2
0.4％
44
8.5％
516
100.0％
(466)
(84.6)
(2)
(0.4)
(83)
(15.1)
(551)
(100.0)
Professional training college
0
0.0％
13
0.05％
25,450
99.95％
25,463
100.0％
(0)
(0.0)
(10)
(0.04)
(27,862)
(99.96)
(27,872)
(100.0)
University preparatory course
0
0.0％
0
0.0％
1,619
100.0％
1,619
100.0％
(0)
(0.0)
(0)
(0.0)
(2,140)
(100.0)
(2,140)
(100.0)
Total
35,338
25.6％
3,230
2.3％
99,507
72.1％
138,075
100.0％
(35,183)
(24.8)
(3,110)
(2.2)
(103,481)
(73.0)
(141,774)
(100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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7. Number of International Students by Major Field

(Unit: person)

Major field Number of students ％ of total
Humanities
27,873
(33,657)
20.2％
(23.7)
Social science
55,732
(54,668)
40.4％
(38.6)
Science
2,123
(2,006)
1.5％
(1.4)
Engineering
23,320
(22,567)
16.9％
(15.9)
Agriculture
3,196
(3,100)
2.3％
(2.2)
Health care
3,003
(2,920)
2.2％
(2.1)
Home economics
2,684
(2,747)
1.9％
(1.9)
Education
3,277
(3,397)
2.4％
(2.4)
Arts
4,491
(4,604)
3.3％
(3.2)
Others
12,376
(12,108)
9.0％
(8.5)
Total
138,075
(141,774)
100.0％
(100.0)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

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8. Number of International Students by Region and Prefecture of Japan

(Unit: person)

Region Num. of students ％ of total Prefecture Number of students Region Num. of students ％ of total Prefecture Number of students
Hokkaido
2,734
(2,537)
2.0％
(1.8)
 Hokkaido
2,734
(2,537)
 Kinki
24,807
(24,598)
18.0％
(17.4)
 Mie
1,025
(1,004)
Shiga
470
(477)
Kyoto
6,246
(5,896)
Osaka
10,325
(10,791)
Hyogo
4,959
(4,637)
Nara
1,490
(1,486)
Tohoku
3,746
(4,221)
2.7％
(3.0)
 Aomori
413
(600)
 Wakayama
292
(307)
Iwate
375
(421)
 Chugoku
7,142
(6,980)
5.2％
(4.9)
 Tottori
183
(202)
Miyagi
2,018
(2,140)
 Shimane
230
(218)
Akita
292
(351)
 Okayama
2,516
(2,628)
Yamagata
207
(242)
 Hiroshima
2,647
(2,538)
Fukushima
441
(467)
 Yamaguchi
1,566
(1,394)
Kanto
64,088
(68,095)
46.4％
(48.0)
 Ibaraki
2,713
(2,714)
 Shikoku
1,418
(1,457)
1.0％
(1.0)
 Tokushima
350
(355)
Tochigi
1,073
(1,085)
 Kagawa
378
(411)
Gunma
1,571
(1,756)
 Ehime
507
(520)
Saitama
6,013
(6,153)
 Kochi
183
(171)
Chiba
4,850
(6,054)
 Kyushu
18,699
(18,057)
13.5％
(12.7)
 Fukuoka
10,635
(9,665)
Tokyo
43,188
(45,617)
 Saga
341
(404)
Kanagawa
4,680
(4,716)
 Nagasaki
1,518
(1,653)
Chubu
15,441
(15,829)
11.2％
(11.2)
 Niigata
1,592
(1,597)
 Kumamoto
667
(756)
Toyama
571
(606)
 Oita
3,873
(4,198)
Ishikawa
1,670
(1,804)
 Miyazaki
167
(168)
Fukui
309
(339)
 Kagoshima
881
(644)
Yamanashi
880
(888)
 Okinawa
617
(569)
Nagano
681
(674)
 Total 138,075
(141,774)
100.0％
(100.0)
Gifu
1,353
(1,439)
Shizuoka
1,679
(1,709)
Aichi
6,706
(6,773)

(  ) indicates figures as of May 1, 2010

 

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9. Number of International Students by Housing (as of May 1, 2011)

A. International student housing set up by schools  (16,956 students)
National universities
86schools
6,931 students
Local public universities
24 schools
415 students
Private universities
312 schools
9,610 students

 

B. International student housing set up by public corporations, etc.  (5,790 students)
JASSO-sponsored housing 1,857 students
Public corporation-sponsored housing 722 students
Local government-sponsored housing 1,022 students
Public housing 1,709 students
Private company housing 480 students

 

C. General student housing set up by schools  (5,594 students)
National universities
101 schools
3,082 students
Local public universities
11 schools
220 students
Private universities
202 schools
2,292 students

 

 

International Students Housing

 

 

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<References>

Ref 1. Shift in Number and Percentage of International Students

 

Ref 2. Major Universities in terms of Number of International Students

 

Ref 3. International Students in Japanese language institutes