Japan seeks to end living expenses aid to foreign doctoral students

Our tax money handed out to rich Chinese students. Idiots!

BigP,

What is it with supporting something that goes against one’s own self-interest?

This is an excellent decision.

"The plan to abolish foreigners' access to living subsidies of 1.8 million yen to 2.4 million yen per annum is expected to take effect in fiscal 2027, pending approval from a committee." Just another xenophobic move by ignorant right-wingers who are doing Japanese education no good.. Foreign students at universities like Harvard, are seen as assets. Cutting foreign students' living expenses will likely force many students to leave Japan. This will further sink Japanese universities into a narrow minded provincialism.

Kabukilover spot on. This is the worst possible decision with the incoming population decline. IF anything you should be raising it and trying to get those types of people to stay. Highly educated individuals who will not commit crimes, will assimilate into the cultural and have children here. Even though guns are banned here somehow the government always has one aimed at the country's foot

I have to laugh at this! Was it not just a few weeks ago that many were calling to invite the foreign students who were not allowed to enter Harvard and offer them full subsidies etc! The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing!

Chinese nationals made up 76% of the non-Japanese cohort at 3,151 people.

I can't help but wonder... If Indian nationals, or French nations, or Canadian nationals made up 76% of the cohort instead of Chinese nationals, would the governments response have been the same? I reckon not. I can't believe they didn't do any kind of means testing for applicants first.

Note that we are not talking about students here, but doctoral students, who do basic research, vital for any developed country. And by the way, Japan is the only developed country that does not pay a salary to graduate students, as US or Europe does, regardless if domestic or foreigners. They have to pay tuition in Japan, and apply for fellowships or low-interest loans. This move will further decrease the attractiveness of Japan academia for talented graduate students, and in the end Japan will be the one losing the most. The government on one hand keeps on screaming "internationalization", while cutting funds and dragging feet (as they do with the horrible export control regulations).

Foreign students at universities like Harvard, are seen as assets

By the university, but not the US government.

This makes perfect sense. Even the Japanese university students (under graduate students) are financially struggling paying their tuition fees. There is no point in giving living expenses and scholarships to rich Chinese students.

Chinese in general are working all the public assistance programs. They have even gotten public cheap housing in record numbers. These things should be for Japanese and PR residents not non-permanent people.

Does the Japanese government keep track of the foreign students who received aid remained in Japan after graduating?

The important difference here is that Chinese have the linguistic foundation to quickly become fluent reading and writing the Japanese language. Many arrive having graduated from high schools and universities specializing in Japanese.

Other groups could eventually get there in terms of fluency but that is a much bigger hill to climb.

I can't help but wonder... If Indian nationals, or French nations, or Canadian nationals made up 76% of the cohort instead of Chinese nationals, would the governments response have been the same?

Attacking the MEXT scholarships targeted at ryugakusei, like several political parties are currently doing now, is the most ridiculous anti-foreigner policy of all I've heard so far. There isn't a single more successful investment in producing long-term fans of Japan, many of whom will continue to work for Japan here or abroad. Not even all the soft power from exporting anime/manga can compare to what a MEXT scholarship can do. Just a couple of weeks ago Ishiba was stunned that the PM of Montenegro spoke to him in fluent Japanese - well, try to think why.

@Japan Glimpsed

"Foreign students at universities like Harvard, are seen as assets"

By the university, but not the US government.

For now.

That's good because they rarely stays thereafter.

Many universities in Europe and America provide fee-free places to international students because they are an asset, with many remaining in the countries after completing their studies. Japan needs more skilled and trained workers, not fewer.

A new economic study has found that international students are a massive boon for Germany's coffers — even if they get their education free of charge. German industry is now doing more to recruit foreign students.

https://www.dw.com/en/international-students-bring-billions-to-germany/a-72018202

Do you have any data to support this statement? My wife has taught international students at a university in Japan and many Taiwanese, Chinese and Korean students want to remain in Japan after graduation.

That's good because they rarely stays thereafter.

Xenophobia keep rising in Japan it seems....

Our tax money handed out to rich Chinese students. Idiots!

There are also many from developing countries who have wealthy families or have the right connections to get Japanese scholarships funded by the tax payer.

Let's fund Japanese students before wasting it on overseas scroungers.

That's good because they rarely stays thereafter.

How rarely? is this just a baseless assumption or do you have any data to support the claim.

Also, the aid is clearly directed to increase the number of doctoral students, not doctoral graduates, it would be irrelevant how many remain.

Let's fund Japanese students before wasting it on overseas scroungers.

Soft power is only a waste in the eyes of people that fail to consider how it helps a country in the international stage.

I agree these living expenses funds should be for students who NEED it. Just giving it to them because they are under a program was silly in the first place. But at the same time they are trying to increase the number of overseas research students so this isn’t exactly an appeal point either.

I agree these living expenses funds should be for students who NEED it. Just giving it to them because they are under a program was silly in the first place. 

The whole point of being in the program is to receive the aid, and it it extremely competitive, conspiracy theories aside this means that only the students that have excellent applications (with well formulated justifications and appeals) get it. Are you arguing that the funds are to be prioritized only to students in need even if their PhD course is not productive? That would easily be abused by people that make up irrelevant courses for people to just enroll in order to get the funds without having any intention of ever studying.

Also, living expenses are a secondary reason why Japanese students don't enroll in PhD courses, the main one is that for the vast majority the degree does not result in a job that justifies the effort and time, for almost everybody it ends up with a couple of years of postdoc positions and then leaving academia for a job that did not require a PhD in the first place. International students have an easier path towards using the degree and reaching positions of importance in their own countries which ends up being beneficial to Japan.

Is it competitive funding, or something else given to any phd student? I can't tell from the article.

The whole point of being in the program is to receive the aid, and it it extremely competitive, conspiracy theories aside this means that only the students that have excellent applications (with well formulated justifications and appeals) get it. Are you arguing that the funds are to be prioritized only to students in need even if their PhD course is not productive? That would easily be abused by people that make up irrelevant courses for people to just enroll in order to get the funds without having any intention of ever studying.

Very few of the students actually want to be in Japan. They are here BECAUSE they get the handouts. They would much prefer to be in the US or UK but failed to get a place so next best is Japan for the free cash.

What's different from Harvard is that Chinese students receive a living allowance in Japan and take the results of their research back to China.

First of all, it seems natural that Japanese students should be given more support than international students.

It is a problem that Japan gives more generous allowances to international students than to its own students.

Another problem is that Japan provides welfare benefits to Chinese and Korean families, while not providing enough welfare to Japanese families.

Aside from that, some local governments are also problematic because they provide subsidies and preferential treatment when foreigners receive advanced medical treatment in Japan.

Looking at it this way, it's clear how much tax money is wasted.

Instead, they should implement policies to make gas cheaper and lower taxes altogether.