Economic crisis and yen push Japanese students towards Asian universities
The depreciation of the local currency is making the costs of traditional universities in the West, from the United States to Europe, increasingly unsustainable. Hence the choice of alternative destinations such as Taiwan, Malaysia and South Korea. After Covid-19, the number of young people abroad is growing again. Tokyo has set a target of increasing the number to 500,000 by 2033.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) - The economic crisis and the depreciation of the local currency are affecting Japanese students: more and more young people are turning to Asian countries as their preferred destinations for studying abroad, abandoning countries traditionally popular in the West due to rising inflation and a weak yen that makes taxes and living costs unsustainable.
At present, universities in Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom are still at the top of the list of preferences, accounting for about two-thirds of the total. Nevertheless, a growing number of university students are looking to the continent, choosing Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, where study and living costs are more affordable.
Tatsuhiko Hoshino, an official in the international relations department at the non-profit Japan Association of Overseas Studies (JAOS), confirms that the depreciation of the yen has had a significant impact on Japanese students seeking to study abroad.
‘There has been a noticeable shift away from traditionally expensive destinations,’ he says. In Europe, destinations that were once secondary, such as Germany, Hungary and Malta, are now gaining ground as they are more affordable. ‘This trend is unlikely to change, and I believe we will see even more Japanese students opting to study in Asia or EU countries,’ he adds.
According to eduPASS, a resource provider for international students coming to the United States, living and accommodation costs vary considerably depending on the location chosen and other factors.
University tuition fees for students have so far ranged from ,000 to ,000 per year for a bachelor's degree and from ,000 to ,000 for a master's degree. National Taiwan University (NTU), one of the most prestigious universities on the island, has been one of the institutions welcoming the most Japanese students for some time.
The number of young people from Japan who applied to the Taiwanese university in 2025 increased by more than 60% compared to the previous year, partly due to its accessibility and proximity.
Currently, there are approximately 183 Japanese students enrolled at NTU, including 114 undergraduates, 57 master's students and 12 doctoral candidates. Most are studying economics and political science, benefiting from English-language classes in a bilingual environment.
A Jaos survey in 2024 found that 14,713 Japanese students were studying in Asia, compared to a pre-Covid total of 12,460 in 2019 and slightly higher, at 14,012, for last year. South Korea saw an increase from 1,605 Japanese students in 2019 to 2,468 in 2024.
Malaysia saw a similar rapid increase from 481 in 2019 to 891 in 2024; Taiwan, slower to reopen after the pandemic emergency, had almost the same number of Japanese students as before the pandemic: 1,515 in 2024.
The primary imperative for studying abroad remains gaining fluency in English, which is considered essential for future careers. In 2024, Japan reached an all-time low in English proficiency, ranking 92nd out of 116 regions and countries where English is not the mother tongue, according to EF Education First.
It ranked 16th among 23 Asian countries. Finally, the overall number of students studying abroad increased to 70,253 in 2024, compared to 66,007 in the previous year. The government has set a target of increasing the number of university students studying abroad to 500,000 by 2033.
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