
87 Japan Universities to Help Intl Students after Harvard Ban
Reuters file photo
A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on April 15
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Eighty-seven Japanese universities have announced support measures for international students in the United States, following an order barring Harvard University from accepting such students, the education ministry and the Japan Student Services Organization said Friday.
The scope of students eligible for the support measures and the extent of such aid differ from university to university.
Tohoku University said that it will accept undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in U.S. universities who face difficulties continuing their studies mainly due to the ban by President Donald Trump's administration. They will be accepted to the national university in northeastern Japan as nondegree students not required to pay tuition or enrollment fees.
Many Japanese universities will accept those affected as regular students or nonregular occasional students, regardless of nationality or where they currently study.
Some universities have said that such students will be exempt from tuition and be provided with lodging at dormitories.
According to the student services organization, five other universities were considering support measures as of Friday. It will continue to update related information.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Nikkei Asia
13 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
BOJ expected to stick with JGB purchase decrease after April 2026
TOKYO -- The Bank of Japan, the country's biggest government bond holder, intends to continue reducing Japanese government bonds purchases after April 2026, allowing interest rates to be determined more freely by the market, Nikkei has learned. The original plan to reduce JGB purchases was to last through March 2026, but that will likely be extended. The central bank held 52% of all JGBs as of the end of 2024.


Asahi Shimbun
19 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Share houses thrive offering affordability, modern twists
The living room of a share house near Asakusabashi Station in Tokyo's Taito Ward (Provided by Borderless House Corp.) When Masaya Kobayashi moved to Tokyo after graduating from a college in Kanazawa, he thought about renting an apartment at first. But he discovered that the monthly rent alone would cost around 100,000 yen ($685) along with an additional 300,000 to 500,000 yen in initial expenses. So, Kobayashi, 24, moved into a share house where he lives with other tenants who share common spaces such as a kitchen and living room. 'This place offers me an opportunity for international communications and English learning,' he said. The share house market is expanding in Japan amid rising rents for urban dwellings. The style of multiple people living in a single rental property is gaining popularity even among foreign visitors. Travelers increasingly prefer staying in share houses to conventional hotels, as these accommodations' room charges are rapidly rising. Against this backdrop, modern versions of share houses are steadily emerging to change their traditional image as 'cramped and dirty.' AFFORDABLE, RICH IN EXPERIENCES Kobayashi's co-living complex is a five-minute walk from JR Asakusabashi Station in Tokyo's Taito Ward. The second to fourth floors of the former hotel building were converted into residential spaces in fall 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen men and women from Japan and abroad are currently spending time together at the establishment. The residents are all in their 20s and 30s. Rents start from 86,000 yen, inclusive of utility expenses. The restroom, shower facilities and kitchen are communal, while the share house alike features private rooms with locks that range from about 4.5 to 7 tatami mats in size. Aspiring residents are required to show their 'willingness to interact with others.' The operator of the shared home stated that it maintains a 1:1 ratio of males to females and Japanese to foreigners. The common living room is furnished with a dining table and a sofa, providing a space for 'takoyaki' octopus dumpling parties and other almost weekly recreational events. Animated conversations in Japanese and English are always exchanged there. CONSTANT RISE IN URBAN RENTS Among the advantages of shared homes are cheaper rents compared with apartments and other such housing facilities. Figures from real estate information provider At Home Co. show the rent for a single-person property of 30 square meters or less in Tokyo's 23 wards averaged 99,083 yen as of March. The rental fee hit a record high for 10 consecutive months. Rents were increased by at least 3 percent year on year in such areas as Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Fukuoka, too. 'Demand for rental properties once declined in the COVID-19 outbreak but has since recovered in earnest,' said an At Home representative. 'Ballooning construction and labor costs have additionally exerted a significant impact, so a sustained uptick in rents is expected from this point forward as well.' Due to the continuous rise in rents in metropolitan areas, shared housing complexes are seeing a surge in demand. A survey by the Japan Shared House Organization found that there were 6,123 such accommodations in 2024 nationwide, up 5.4 percent from the previous year. The number climbed for the third straight year, with there being 2.2 times more share houses than a decade ago. Buoyed by a rise in the number of unoccupied buildings throughout Japan, increasing inquiries are coming from owners who want to turn properties into shared houses. Borderless House Corp., which runs a total of 59 share houses mainly in Tokyo alongside Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Sendai, stated that these establishments' average occupancy rate was 90.5 percent in 2024. 'Our share houses are instantly filled as soon as they are put in place' in central Tokyo in particular, explained a Borderless House official. Taking account of the expansion in inbound demand, shared residence operators similarly roll out the red carpet for the growing number of foreign tourists who want to stay in Japan for a month or longer. Share houses specifically enjoy a good reputation among sightseers via their affordable prices compared to the rising hotel rates. The chance to casually experience Japanese culture through interactions with other residents also adds to the appeal of shared houses. Hidamari, which is responsible for 85 shared residential facilities mainly in the metropolitan area around the capital, said that the ratio of non-Japanese residents has lately jumped to 60 percent. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 90 percent of its share house users were Japanese. UNCONVENTIONAL IDEAS During the boom, unorthodox variations of share houses have successively been introduced. Boasting a 25-room shared home, the commercial complex OttO opened in April near JR Omiya Station in Saitama, close to Tokyo. It is equipped with a movie theater and cafe for residents' benefit. Tomore Shinagawa Nakanobu, a share house in the capital's Shinagawa Ward, provides its dwellers with not only private spaces in personal rooms marked by toilets and shower equipment but also a communal living room and kitchen. On top of this, a specialized area for remote teleworking is available. The unique amenities make Tomore Shinagawa Nakanobu something between an old-style share house and a rental apartment for single people. Amid the rise of shared homes, a challenge remains: the growing number of reports about conflicts between residents. According to the accounts of the Japan Shared House Organization, trouble often arises over the cleaning of common areas in recent cases. Other frequent sources of problems, for example, include noise and the use of communal spaces in daily life. 'We recommend that prospective residents should check the operator's countermeasures for cleanliness and other issues, as well as the rents,' noted Taku Nakahara, a public relations officer for the organization and a director of Hidamari.


Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Thailand and Cambodia reinforcing troops on disputed border after May skirmish, Thai minister says
Royalist activists hold placards as they protest in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Devjyot Ghoshal Thailand has reinforced its military presence along a disputed border with Cambodia, following an increase in troops on the other side, Thailand's defense minister said on Saturday. Tensions between the two Southeast Asian countries have been simmering since a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 in a brief conflict in an undemarcated border area. For days, the two Southeast Asian governments have been exchanging carefully worded statements committing to dialogue. But Phumtham Wechayachai, who also serves as Thailand's deputy prime minister, said Cambodia had rejected proposals in bilateral talks held on Thursday that could have led to a de-escalation. "Furthermore, there has been a reinforcement of military presence, which has exacerbated tensions along the border," Phumtham said in a statement. "Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly." He did not provide details on the extent of reinforcements by either side. In a separate statement on Saturday, the Thai army said Cambodian soldiers and civilians had repeatedly made incursions into Thailand's territory. "These provocations, and the build-up of military forces, indicate a clear intent to use force," the Thai army said, adding that it would take control of all Thai checkpoints along the border with Cambodia. Although border checkpoints between the two countries remain open, they may gradually become more restrictive, ranging from earlier closing times to complete closures, depending on security assessments in each area, Thai army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said. Thailand currently operates 17 official border crossings with Cambodia, spanning seven provinces along their shared 817-km (508 miles) frontier, government data shows. A spokesperson for Cambodia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on the Thai army's announcement. "This is our stance, not to initiate conflict, but to defend ourselves," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in speech earlier on Saturday. "Our guiding principles are ... respect for international legal frameworks. These grounded strategies are key to safeguarding our nation's sovereignty," he said, adding that its armed forces were ready to defend against aggression. Thailand remains committed to pursuing bilateral dialogue as a means to restore stability, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. "The Thai side reaffirms its readiness to engage through established bilateral mechanisms, particularly the upcoming meeting of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), scheduled for June 14," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters. "We sincerely hope that the negotiations will proceed in good faith", he added. The military reinforcements come despite efforts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is the current chair of the Southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, and China to reduce tensions. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. Current governments in both countries, however, have enjoyed warm ties. Former leaders Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen have had a close relationship, and Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are now the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. Still, nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand and the Thai military said on Friday it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty. Cambodia said this week it would refer disputes over four parts of the border to the International Court of Justice and asked Thailand to cooperate. Phumtham reiterated in his Saturday statement that Thailand does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations. © Thomson Reuters 2025.