Japan seeks to end living expenses aid to foreign doctoral students
KYODO NEWS - 2 minutes ago - 20:45 | All, Japan
Japan's education ministry plans to restrict living expenses support for doctoral students to Japanese nationals only, a panel proposal showed Thursday after parliamentary debate over foreign students accounting for over a third of recipients of the public grants.
The plan to abolish foreigners' access to living subsidies of 1.8 million yen ($12,400) to 2.4 million yen per annum is expected to take effect in fiscal 2027, pending approval from a committee.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 10,564 people received the subsidies in fiscal 2024, of whom 4,125, around 39 percent, were from overseas. Chinese nationals made up 76% of the non-Japanese cohort at 3,151 people.
In March, the findings were raised during a parliamentary session by a lawmaker who called for the funds to be limited to Japanese nationals in principle.
The government launched a support program in fiscal 2021 to boost the number of doctoral students by supporting their living and research expenses.
The proposal presented at a meeting of panel members says that the changes "reflect the program's aims to ease Japanese students' worries about their financial situations to enable them to advance to doctoral study," adding that many foreign students fund their education privately.
Foreign students will remain eligible for research support of up to 1.1 million yen under the program.
Related coverage:
U.S. to resume issuing int'l student visas, add tougher online checks
Japan draws up 100 bil. yen policy to attract foreign researchers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.JPG%3Fwidth%3D780%26fit%3Dcover%26gravity%3Dfaces%26dpr%3D2%26quality%3Dmedium%26source%3Dnar-cms%26format%3Dauto&w=3840&q=100)
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's top shipbuilder Imabari to make No. 2 JMU a subsidiary
Imabari Shipbuilding accounts for 30% of Japan's shipbuilding by weight. (Photo by Mayuko Suzuki) TOSHIHIDE TAKEDA TOKYO -- Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan's leader in the field, announced on Thursday that it will boost its stake in second-ranked Japan Marine United (JMU) to 60% and make it a subsidiary, looking to lower costs and increase competitiveness with Chinese and South Korean rivals. The acquisition amount has not been disclosed. The deal is subject to notification and approval from relevant domestic and overseas authorities, with completion expected to take several months.
an hour ago
Japan's Imabari Shipbuilding to Make Industry Peer Subsidiary
News from Japan Economy Jun 26, 2025 22:56 (JST) Tokyo, June 26 (Jiji Press)--Top Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding Co. said Thursday that it will acquire second-biggest Japan Marine United Corp. by raising its equity stake to 60 pct. Currently, Imabari Shipbuilding holds 30 pct of JMU, while steelmaker JFE Holdings Inc. and heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. own 35 pct each. While Imabari Shipbuilding will double its stake, the remaining two shareholders will see their ownership ratio to drop to 20 pct. The share acquisition price was not disclosed. The deal will be completed upon regulatory approval in and outside Japan. JMU was established in 2013 through the integration of shipbuilding operations from JFE Holdings, IHI, Kanadevia Corp., formerly called Hitachi Zosen Corp., and Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. Imabari Shipbuilding invested in JMU in 2021. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
3 hours ago
Japan's Ishiba to Make 1st Election Speech in Hyogo
Tokyo, June 26 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to give his first election speech for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on July 3, a government official said Thursday. Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, plans to attend Japan Day events at the ongoing 2025 World Exposition in the western city of Osaka that day, when the official campaign period will start for the upper chamber of parliament. More than 10 candidates, including incumbents of the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, are expected to run in the Hyogo prefectural constituency, where three seats will be up for grabs. In his speech, Ishiba is expected to highlight disaster reduction measures, a key issue for him, as this year marked the 30th anniversary of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake that mainly struck Hyogo. Through his visit to the disaster-stricken area, Ishiba apparently hopes to rally support for the ruling coalition in the very crowded constituency. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
