The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology plans to relax enrollment quotas for universities to attract top international students. Approved faculties will be permitted to exceed their quotas by up to 10%, contingent on raising tuition fees for international students. Strict regulations previously made universities with high enrollment rates reluctant to recruit from overseas.

Implementation is targeted for spring 2026. Universities seeking deregulation will be required to submit plans to increase their international student ratio by at least 10% from current levels, with certification granted on a department-by-department basis by February 2026.

Certification will require financial measures to cover costs associated with expanding Japanese language education and support systems, including potential tuition increases for international students.

The number of international students studying at Japanese university undergraduate programs is increasing, reaching approximately 87,000 in 2024. However, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Japan's international student ratio remains at just 3%.

This is below the average of member countries (5%), and shows a significant gap compared to top performers like the UK (16%) and Canada (14%).