Japan-bound overseas students ‘abandoned’ as border stays shut

International students seeking to enrol in Japanese universities said that they felt “abandoned” after lobbying unsuccessfully to be allowed into the country.

Two master’s students, Giulia Luzzo and Filippo Pedretti, addressed the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan remotely from Italy to call for the reopening of the border, which has been closed to most overseas learners since 2020.

Japan’s admission of thousands of foreign athletes and coaches for the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July has only fuelled student discontent.

“We feel abandoned by everyone, including our institutions,” said Ms Luzzo, who is currently at the University of Turin, but was planning to do a PhD on Japanese women’s literature in Japan. “Most officials we speak to sympathise, but the decision rests on the shoulders of the Japanese government.”

She had secured Erasmus+ funding to go to Japan, but it was cancelled due to a border closure beyond her control. She is now working three part-time jobs – including waitressing and tutoring – to save for self-funded study. At the same time, she is taking courses as an exchange student at a Japanese university at night, due to the time difference.

“I barely sleep five consecutive hours a day. It’s not bearable anymore,” she said. “Studying at night is detrimental to our academic performance, and also our physical and mental health.”

While she is still planning on going to Japan, she added that other international students felt “bitter” and had diverted their paths to Asian countries with open borders, such as South Korea.

Ms Luzzo has been part of an effort to collect stories from others in similar situations. One student entrepreneur sold all her belongings to get to Japan, and is now stuck in an Airbnb back home. Meanwhile in Japan, some professors are finding it difficult to bring in overseas research students they need.

“It must be even harder for science students who need labs,” Ms Luzzo added.

Mr Pedretti has been part of a team of students – from the UK, France, Germany and Colombia – who have taken this lobbying to social media channels with thousands of followers.

“The more time passes, the more expensive it becomes,” said the religious studies student. “For example, you may not be able to access scholarships after some time.” He added that other foreign students are still being charged rent for residences they have not lived in for a year.

“Most of us will do anything – take vaccines and tests, and pay for hotel quarantine,” Mr Pedretti said. “My interest in Japan is still strong.”

The number of international students in Japan more than doubled in less than a decade, from 140,000 in 2010 to more than 300,000 in 2019. About half are university degree students, while the other half are in language or technical courses. Most are from Asia.

There is a similar situation in China, where the number of overseas students roughly doubled in a decade, to reach nearly 500,000 in 2019. Most of them are also locked out by border closures that have persisted since early 2020.

joyce.lau@timeshighereducation.com