Japan to Tighten Rules for Enrolling Foreign Students

Japan’s education ministry and immigration agency said they would tighten rules around the enrollment of foreign students after a university was found to have lost contact with more than 1,600 international students, The Japan Times reported. The government said it would ban certain institutions from enrolling new foreign students in a decision prompted by the case of the Tokyo University of Social Welfare, which was found to have lost contact with 1,610 international students over the past three years. Another 700 canceled their enrollment, and 178 were removed. Many of the students were enrolled in Japanese language preparatory programs. Government inspectors found that the private university was accepting many students who lacked sufficient language skills or the ability to pay tuition.