Culture, Technology, Entertainment and so much more…

Known as the land of technological innovation, animation and rich history, Japan currently boasts the third largest economy in the world. Much of Japan’s economic success has to do with the strong research central to many Japanese brands including Toyota, Nissan, Panasonic etc. It could be argued that technological advancements were possible due to the excellent level of education provided by the Japanese educational system. 

With the aim of raising competitiveness among the Japanese universities’ rank, the Japanese government intends to attract around 300,000 international students by 2020, and have around 10 universities rank in the top 100 World universities by 2023.

Furthermore, over the past five years, there has been an increasing number of foreign students choosing Japan as undergraduate and graduate study destination. This can be attributed to several reasons, including the following:

Standards of Education

From an educational perspective, Japan doesn’t go unnoticed. To start with, it has the most Nobel Prize winners in Asia.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Japan has ranked first among high school students for Maths and second for Scientific literacy. As for higher education, Japan has around 700 universities, of which 10 are in the top 200 around the world.

Cultural experiences

Japan offers quite a unique cultural experience. From sleeping in capsule hotels, to attending tea ceremonies, or eating in a robot restaurant, Japan has a lot to offer. Nonetheless, over the years, Japan has attracted an increasing number of tourists; for the seventh year in a row, the number of international tourists has risen, hitting a record level of 30 million tourists in 2018. Moreover, with important events such as the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the 2020 Summer Olympics, this number is set to increase.

Types of Educational Institutions

There are five types of educational institutions :

    • Vocational schools : these are schools specializing in a particular field, including : anime, game, travel and tourism, food, graphic, IT, business, translation, media, music, car, fashion, make-up, pet and other. The duration of each course varies between two to four years, depending on the field.
    • Technical colleges : these are schools where students can acquire practical and specialized knowledge required for a specific vocation. Technical colleges focus on engineering and mercantile studies, including : chemical engineering, biotechnology, electrical and electronic engineering, civil engineering, information systems and control technologies. The duration of each course varies between 4 to 5 years, depending on the field.
    • Junior colleges : these are schools where students can obtain a certificate in two to three years in a particular field. Field specializations include : art, economics, education, or social studies.
    • Universities (Undergraduate level) : undergraduate degrees generally take four years to complete, but degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary science may take up to six years.
  • Universities (Graduate level) : graduate levels generally take two years to complete, professional graduate courses take three years, and doctorate degrees take up to five years.

Tuition and Scholarships

Compared to some countries, the tuition fees of Japanese universities may seem inexpensive, while compared to others, they are quite expensive. 

Moreover, several scholarships are available both for national and international students.

These include :

In addition to the above-mentioned ones, each university offers their own scholarships, which can be applied to directly by contacting them.

Studying in Japan can be a very exciting experience, both from a cultural and educational perspective. Whether it is for a short-term or long-term study, students are guaranteed to have a memorable time.