With many Asian countries slowly gaining popularity among students as higher education destinations, Japan is one such country that not only provides ample higher education opportunities to Indian students but also lets them bask in their rich cultural heritage.
As Japan is working hard to attract Indian students to fill their classrooms, official statistics obtained by the Free Press Journal show that the country had 1,280 students from India at Japanese higher educational institutions in 2022. This number accounts for 0.7% of all foreign students in Japan.
Degrees in manga and animation on the rise
The popularity of manga and anime among Indians has resulted in them pursuing courses in Japan. In the past ten years, Japanese institutions have expanded the number of English-language courses and degrees on Anime and Manga, while providing occupational diploma courses and full-fledged research programs.
According to sources, many Indian students have indicated interest in studying Japanese anime and manga at the Japanese Specialized Training College during interview sessions for Japanese Government Scholarships at the Japanese Embassy in India.
44,000-strong Indian community in Japan
Using its state-of-the-art science, technology, and medicine, Japan has so far attracted approximately 44,000 Indians to its country. To provide foreign nationals with a convenient one-stop location to obtain support from government departments handling immigration, legal, humanitarian affairs, and employment, Japan established the Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) in 2020.
Following the Japan-India summit meeting between Prime Minister Kishida of Japan and PM Narendra Modi on May 20 this year, the Land of the Rising Sun anticipates more Indian students in the coming years. Both leaders agreed to make efforts to expand people-to-people exchanges by increasing the number of international students.
Science majors are more in demand in Japan
Sources have confirmed that the MEXT Scholarship is the most popular Japanese scholarship among Indian students interested in studying in Japan, and Science majors are the most sought-after discipline than courses in Social Science and Literature.
