Japan sees dip in U.S. student visas due to Trump's policies
Known as F-1 visas, the decline in student visas issued to Japanese nationals studying abroad in the United States appears to be connected to U.S. President Donald Trump's tightening of restrictions on foreign students.
While some are desperate to seek entry, others have given up on the United States and are choosing other destinations.
As many U.S. schools begin the academic year in September, the number of F-1 visas to be issued usually peaks between May and August.
The Asahi Shimbun compiled data on the number of visas issued by nationality using figures published monthly by the Department of State. It found that around 520 F-1 visas were granted to Japanese nationals in May.
Comparatively, in May of 2022, 2023 and 2024—when COVID-19 pandemic concerns dropped off—about 900 cases were issued, marking a 40 percent drop in those approved this year.
This was the lowest number of F-1 visas issued since 2017, when the data was first made public, and exempting the period from 2020 to 2021 when pandemic countermeasures were in full swing.
STUCK IN LIMBO
A 26-year-old man who lives in the Kyushu region said he now clicks a website 'once every 30 minutes' to see if he can make an appointment for an interview at a U.S. embassy required for obtaining a visa.
He has been doing so every day since about a week when all the necessary documents were ready.
However, all that appears on the reservation site are the words, 'No available slots.'
'I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to my doctoral program at a graduate school in the United States that starts in August, but now I really have no choice but to wait," he said.
U.S. media reported at the end of May that the Trump administration ordered embassies and consulates around the world to temporarily suspend visa interview appointments. Around the same time, Japanese embassies also stopped taking appointments for interviews.
In mid-June, the Department of State announced that appointments would soon resume, but the reality is that many are still unable to make appointments, leaving them in a state of anxiety.
For the prospective Ph.D. student in Kyushu, changing where he pursues his degree is not simple—the United States is the only country where there are universities that would allow him to conduct his desired research across multiple disciplines.
He has also been guaranteed tuition and living support by the university and other entities.
'I just want to book an interview as soon as possible,' he said. 'I want to try to deal with the situation calmly, but there's still uncertainty about what will happen after I get to the United States.'
OVERALL TOTAL UNCHANGED
Looking at the Department of State's data as a whole, however, shows the approximately 45,000 F-1 visas issued in May maintained the standard of prior years' totals.
What remains unexplained is the lower number of F-1 visas issued to Japanese nationals.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo's Minato Ward stated it could not answer The Asahi Shimbun's inquiry for the reason behind this, citing the protection of personal information and the closed-door nature of the embassy's internal operations.
NOT WORTH THE STRESS
Study abroad facilitator Ryugaku Journal Inc. noted that there has been widespread concern among Japanese over the Trump administration's policies and the protests against them since his inauguration in January.
The F-1 visas issued in May were for applications received before the Trump administration took steps such as suspending appointments for interviews. It is possible that the 40 percent decrease was not a direct result of the policy, but rather Japanese hopefuls tossing plans to study in the United States or deciding to pursue international education in other countries.
Furthermore, in mid-June the Department of State announced that it would soon resume interviews after conducting a comprehensive and thorough screening of prospective students, including what they post on social media.
A representative of Ryugaku Journal said that an increasing number of Japanese students are changing their destinations to Australia and Britain or are foregoing their desire to study abroad entirely.
'The situation remains unsettled. We will continue to monitor developments in the United States,' the representative said.
(This article was written by Amane Shimazaki, Shinya Maeda, Kayoko Sekiguchi and Roku Goda.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tokyo Weekender
2 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
NHK Party Leader Takashi Tachibana Calls Black and Muslim People ‘Scary'
Donning a MAGA cap and his trademark colorful suit, NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana addressed a crowd in front of JR Kakogawa Station in Hyogo Prefecture on Friday. The controversial politician, who is running in the House of Councillors race for the Hyogo electoral district, started the stump speech by stating that he is 'afraid of foreigners.' He then added, 'You might not feel as much fear with white people.' List of Contents: Takashi Tachibana's Latest Controversial Remarks Foreigners 'Disrespect Japanese Culture' Says Conservative Party of Japan Leader Related Posts Takashi Tachibana's Latest Controversial Remarks Tachibana went on to say , 'It's scary when groups of Black people or people of Islamic background are gathered in front of the station. It's impossible to walk past at night when there are four or five them frolicking in front of you, and you don't know if they speak Japanese. The current law doesn't allow us to regulate them, so we can't tell them to go away.' Tachibana, who previously suggested that genocide is the solution to overpopulation and that 'we should just wipe out races that have babies like idiots,' was attacked in March, not by a foreigner, but a Japanese national. He was cut on his head and neck with a machete-like weapon, though his injuries were not serious. Suspect Shion M iyanishi , who was arrested at the scene, told the police he 'intended to kill' Tachibana. Foreigners 'Disrespect Japanese Culture' Says Conservative Party of Japan Leader Tachibana wasn't the only Japanese politician to voice controversial views about foreigners over the past few days. During a stump speech on Saturday, Naoki Hyakuta, leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, said that foreign people 'disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings. In northern Kanto you see many towns like this that are no-go zones. If we don't do something about it; Japan's public safety will be threatened.' The right-wing populist party Sanseito, meanwhile, has been gaining a lot of attention due to its 'Japanese First' approach. Speaking at the FCCJ last Thursday, leader Sohei Kamiya insisted that this approach was 'not based on xenophobia.' Responding to a question about immigration, he said, 'Our party is not in favor of accepting migrants to substitute for the drop in Japan's population,' adding, 'Please understand we're not intending to exclude foreign workers who are here legally. We just believe cheap foreign labor is not the right way.' Related Posts Foreign Residents Sue Japanese Government for Racial Profiling US Embassy Tweets About Suspected Racial Profiling in Japan Racism in Japan: A Conversation With Anthropology Professor John G. Russell
2 hours ago
Japan Emperor Visits Water-Related Facilities in Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar, July 7 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Emperor Naruhito visited water-related facilities such as the water supply and sewage authority of Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, on Monday. At the water supply and sewage authority, the Emperor, who conducts research on water issues, received explanations on the state of waterworks in Ulaanbaatar. He expressed gratitude over the Mongolian side's appreciation for Japanese financial cooperation. The Emperor later traveled to a water source in Gachuurt that was developed with grant aid from the Japanese government. The facility has contributed to improving water supply in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar, which are home to about 60 pct of the city's residents but lack water supply infrastructure. He wore a helmet as he observed the water source from atop a storage facility for water drawn from a well along the Tuul River. Earlier in the day, Emperor Naruhito visited the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, where he viewed exhibitions on Mongolian ancient states and the Mongol Empire. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
The Mainichi
3 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activists faces federal trial
BOSTON (AP) -- A federal bench trial begins Monday over a lawsuit that challenges a Trump administration campaign of arresting and deporting faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other political activities. The lawsuit, filed by several university associations against President Donald Trump and members of his administration, would be one of the first to go to trial. Plaintiffs want U.S. District Judge William Young to rule the policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. "The policy's effects have been swift. Noncitizen students and faculty across the United States have been terrified into silence," the plaintiffs wrote in their pretrial brief. "Students and faculty are avoiding political protests, purging their social media, and withdrawing from public engagement with groups associated with pro-Palestinian viewpoints," they wrote. "They're abstaining from certain public writing and scholarship they would otherwise have pursued. They're even self-censoring in the classroom." Several scholars are expected to testify how the policy and subsequent arrests have prompted them to abandon their activism for Palestinian human rights and criticizing Israeli government's policies. Since Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities. Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being "pro-Hamas," referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war. Plaintiffs single out several activists by name, including Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was released last month after spending 104 days in federal immigration detention. Khalil has become a symbol of Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The lawsuit also references Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was released in May from a Louisiana immigration detention. She spent six weeks in detention after she was arrested walking on the street of a Boston suburb. She claims she was illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. The plaintiffs also accuse the Trump administration of supplying names to universities who they wanted to target, launching a social media surveillance program and used Trump's own words in which he said after Khalil's arrest that his was the "first arrest of many to come." The government argued in court documents that the plaintiffs are bringing a First Amendment challenge to a policy "of their own creation." "They do not try to locate this program in any statute, regulation, rule, or directive. They do not allege that it is written down anywhere. And they do not even try to identify its specific terms and substance," the government argues. "That is all unsurprising, because no such policy exists." They argue the plaintiffs case also rest on a "misunderstanding of the First Amendment, "which under binding Supreme Court precedent applies differently in the immigration context than it otherwise does domestically." But plaintiffs counter that evidence at the trial will show the Trump administration has implemented the policy a variety of ways, including issuing formal guidance on revoking visas and green cards and establishing a process for identifying those involved in pro-Palestinian protests. "Defendants have described their policy, defended it, and taken political credit for it," plaintiffs wrote. "It is only now that the policy has been challenged that they say, incredibly, that the policy does not actually exist. But the evidence at trial will show that the policy's existence is beyond cavil."
