The Japan Affiliation of Abroad College students (JAOS) has launched new 2024 information revealing the restoration of outbound examine overseas to close pre-pandemic ranges, based mostly on a survey of 39 member organisations carried out in April 2025.
In response to the findings, the variety of college students despatched overseas in 2024 by JAOS members totalled 70,253. The figures present a rise of 4,246 from the earlier 12 months – reaching 90% of 2019 pre-pandemic ranges.
For the primary time the survey included examine excursions organised by junior and senior excessive faculties or native governments, which accounted for 22% of the full variety of examine overseas contributors.
This displays rising efforts by faculties and municipalities to advertise international schooling.
It comes as Japan is pursuing an formidable internationalisation technique, with JAOS govt secretary, Tatsu Hoshino, highlighting the federal government’s aim of accelerating the variety of Japanese college students learning overseas to 500,000 by 2033.
In response to Hoshino, increasing the examine tour sector is essentially the most “dependable and possible technique” to reaching the federal government plans, pointing to the work of the Ministry of Training, Tradition, Sports activities, Science and Expertise (MEXT) in doing so.
“The MEXT, which is main the implementation of the five hundred,000-student initiative, oversees junior excessive faculties, excessive faculties, and universities in Japan, making it comparatively simple to affect these establishments. The federal government’s transfer to extend subsidies for college students collaborating in examine excursions by their faculties is proof of this strategy,” stated Hoshino.
The info confirmed a decline in examine overseas to the US which misplaced its prime spot, transferring to second place, whereas Australia noticed a rise of about 4,300 college students, making it the highest vacation spot for Japanese examine overseas college students. Canada remained third, adopted by the UK. Whereas Canada’s numbers barely decreased, the UK noticed a rise of about 1,300 college students, the analysis confirmed.
Asian international locations such because the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea have exceeded their 2019 ranges, whereas areas like Oceania and North America have but to completely rebound.
Hoshino highlighted an anticipated enhance in Japanese college students’ outbound mobility to Asian international locations and a notable instance of English language examine excursions within the Philippines.
“Over the previous decade, the variety of Japanese college students learning English within the Philippines has been steadily growing. Initially, solely a restricted variety of early adopters selected to check there, however as extra Japanese started working English language faculties regionally, the general picture of learning within the Philippines improved considerably, resulting in a pointy rise in scholar numbers,” he stated.
“At present, much more conservative establishments reminiscent of Japanese excessive faculties and universities are actively incorporating examine overseas packages within the Philippines. Packages like parent-child examine overseas and summer time camps within the Philippines are additionally gaining recognition. This pattern is anticipated to proceed rising,” Hoshino predicted.
The info additionally pointed to growing curiosity in college students pursuing undergraduate levels abroad, with the US proving hottest regardless of reducing curiosity, adopted by Australia.
Hoshino commented: “Malaysia and Taiwan are drawing growing consideration as locations for Japanese highschool college students searching for to pursue college schooling overseas. Historically, the US dominated this sector, and Australia had additionally been fashionable in recent times.
“Nevertheless, with the yen’s depreciation and international inflation driving up the price of learning overseas, extra college students are turning to Malaysia and Taiwan, the place nationwide insurance policies actively promote the recruitment of worldwide college students, and the place schooling is extra reasonably priced.”
