Nuclear accident affecting foreign student numbers

Sophia University student Bettina Gasser was ironically at the Tokyo immigration office extending her student visa when the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake struck.

The following day there was a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Two days later the Swiss native went to stay with her former homestay family in Osaka. However, her father was not satisfied. The Swiss Embassy was urging its citizens in Tokyo and Yokohama to leave the country.

"Your grandmother is worried and keeps crying, please come home," implored the parents of the third-year literature student. On March 16, five days after the quake, Gasser returned to her parent's home in Zurich, Switzerland. The plane ticket she had hurriedly purchased was four times more expensive than the discounted one she usually buys.

After March 11, a large number of foreign students such as Gasser temporarily left Japan. Though almost 90 percent returned for the new school term starting in April, the number seeking to start their studies this fall is expected to decline significantly. This will unfortunately more than likely impact the 300,000 Foreign Student Plan being promoted by the government.

For Gasser, even in Switzerland after she returned home, the top news story on television every day was about the disaster in Japan. More than the earthquake and tsunami, however, the biggest subject of concern was the nuclear accident. Gasser, who could check information being provided in Japanese on the Internet, had mixed emotions about what she was reading. While she felt that the Japanese media was too restrained, she also believed that reporting in Europe was often too exaggerated. However, her parents had requested she take a temporary leave from school and an acquaintance in her neighborhood argued, "If something happens, it will be hard to get out of Tokyo."

Of two minds on whether she should continue with her studies abroad, Gasser returned to Japan in April. Some of her foreign student friends had decided to take leaves of absence, while others were heading to the disaster area as volunteers. What persuaded her to stay were Japanese friends happily telling her, "We didn't think you'd be back. It's good to see you." She sends her parents an e-mail message once a week updating her status; "There are no blackouts. I'm able to obtain safe water and vegetables."

In May, Gasser, "feeling sorry about leaving Japan in its time of need," went to Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture to work as a volunteer clearing away rumble and debris.

70,000 STUDENTS FLEE

According to the Ministry of Justice, in the 21-day period from the day of the disaster to April 1, approximately 470,000 foreigners left Japan. Of those, close to 70,000 were international students.

Cases of students from China, who account for 60 percent of the foreign student population in Japan, being made to return home by worried parents influenced by the country's one-child policy and playing it safe, were especially prevalent.

The University of California, which has student exchange programs with universities in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, tried to transfer its students to schools in the Kansai area farther south. However, because the U.S. State Department issued an advisory on March 16 urging its citizens to voluntarily leave Japan (later rescinded), the university was forced to cancel all its exchange programs and instructed its 80 students to return to the United States.

"In locations for which the U.S. government has issued an advisory, restrictions will be placed on accident insurance and such; as time passes, the insured will no longer be able to receive compensation to cover the cost of returning home. When taking the student's safety into consideration, the decision (to send them home) was unavoidable," explains Kaoru Takahashi, manger of the university's office in Mitaka city, Tokyo.

According to a survey of 70 universities nationwide conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), approximately 90 percent of foreign students had returned to within commuting distance of their schools in Japan by the start of the new school year. "The panic situation that occurred immediately following the earthquake has been resolved," says a ministry official.

Still, concerns have not diminished, and officials are worried that foreign students will begin avoiding Japan as a study abroad destination. Students who were in Japan before the earthquake understand the current situation in the country and have returned to study. However, it is difficult for those who have never been to Japan to acquire accurate information, with many mistakenly believing that the whole country is still suffering great hardships as a result of the earthquake and nuclear accident.

Akihiko Tanaka, vice president of the University of Tokyo and a professor of international politics, said he was approached by attendees from various countries expressing concern for Japan at a recent overseas international conference. All of them were astonished when he told them "radiation levels in Tokyo are no different than normal and the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) is back up and running."

Currently, the drop in foreign student numbers at the University of Tokyo is negligible; however, inquiries about overseas student intake for the fall semester came to a complete halt in the one month period immediately following the quake.

Almost half of the 6,000 students at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, are international students. Immediately following the earthquake, the school's overseas offices, located in seven countries and territories such as China and South Korea, received more than 100 calls from concerned parents of prospective students, asking "is everything all right?"

APU is still not disclosing the fluctuation in foreign student numbers before and after the earthquake. It is being quite cautious about revealing the number to avoid the possibility of unwarranted rumors arising, saying only that there has been a change.

The number of foreigners seeking to study Japanese at language schools in Japan is also drastically decreasing. For the 31 schools responding to a survey conducted by the Earthquake Recovery Support Council of Japanese Language Schools, which was established in April, prospective student numbers for the term starting in October are down 70 percent from the previous year.

Seventy percent of students who study at Japanese language schools go on to universities and technical schools in Japan. The council is lobbying the national government to offer support to foreign students and to enhance information for students overseas who are considering studying in Japan. The council itself is publishing and distributing to educational institutions a booklet featuring messages from international students in Japan.

ACCURATE INFORMATION CONCERNING JAPAN

In 2008, the Japanese government launched a plan aimed at increasing the number of foreign students in Japan to 300,000 by the year 2020.

The goal of the 300,000 Student Plan is to increase pro-Japanese sentiment and the number of Japanophiles around the world. If the number of foreign students studying in Japan increases, the development of people capable of supporting Japan's future and its aging population can be expected. An increased international student presence can also provide Japanese students with the hard-to-get stimulation made possible through exposure to foreign cultures. This in turn will make it easier for Japan to develop individuals capable of adapting to the global marketplace.

The number of foreign students in Japan, including those studying at Japanese language schools, currently stands at 180,000. Even if the earthquake hadn't occurred, a national program aimed at increasing the numbers would still be necessary. Junsaku Mizuhata, deputy director for international student exchange in the MEXT, feels the decline in foreign student numbers is temporary and "now is not the time to abandon the 300,000 Student Plan." However, given the fact that prolongment of the nuclear accident issue appears inevitable, there are fears that Japan will be passed over as a study abroad destination for quite some time. The University of California resumed its exchange program this summer, however, close to 40 percent of the original aspirants pulled out.

A foreign student from South Korea in Tokyo said, "The United States and China are popular study abroad destinations; the number of students choosing to study in Japan was already in decline. I think the earthquake will only reinforce this trend."

Involved parties are placing importance on the conveyance of accurate information concerning safety and the care of foreign students already in Japan.

Starting April 21, APU in Beppu city began transmitting a multilingual video in 12 languages, including Indonesian and Bengali, declaring Oita Prefecture to be safe.

Twice in April, once at the beginning of the month and once at the end, Hokkaido University held an English language briefing session for foreign students at its conference hall in Sapporo. Medical personnel from the Hokkaido Prefectural Government explained to participants that radiation levels in the air and tap water were normal and that no change had occurred. With the number of courses being offered in English increasing, more than a few foreign students are still not capable of reading and writing Japanese at an adequate level. Following the explanation in English, the presenters were bombarded with questions. Approximately 80 percent of the 350 international students taking part in the briefing reported that their "anxiety had been eliminated."

Being in the disaster-stricken area is not a negative, explains Tohoku University at foreign student fairs overseas, saying, "along with a high-quality education, students will be able to closely experience the strength and resilience of the local residents as they work to rebuild (their communities)."

However, many university officials expressed concern, saying, "There is a limit to what the university can do on its own. If the government doesn't convey accurate information in multiple languages that targets not only specialists, but ordinary people as well, Japan will disappear as a choice for studying abroad."

"The earthquake also focused attention on the strength of Japanese society. If the government would show a more proactive response to the nuclear accident and damaged caused by the quake, global interest (in Japan) would rise, which would also link to an increase in the number of people wanting to study abroad in Japan," said Tatsuo Oyama, vice president of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, where foreign students make up 60 percent of the school population.

The parents of the Sophia University student Gasser complained that, "News in Switzerland related to the disaster is decreasing; we are unable to get details on the present situation." Immediately following the earthquake the global media focused on Japan; however, international interest was quick to wane. Increasingly, information regarding the situation is becoming scarcer and less reliable.