- Japan plans to end living expense grants for international doctoral students from fiscal 2027, limiting support to Japanese citizens.
- The move follows parliamentary concerns over the high proportion of foreign recipients-39% in 2024, with Chinese students comprising 76% of that group.
- While international students will lose living stipends, they remain eligible for research grants of up to 1.1 million yen.
Japan's education ministry has revealed plans to limit living expense grants for doctoral students to Japanese citizens, after parliamentary complaints at the large percentage of foreign recipients. International doctoral students would no longer be entitled to living expense support in the government funding program from 2027, under a proposal outlined at a ministry panel meeting on June 26.
The proposal, awaiting committee sanction, comes into force in fiscal 2027 and will not include foreign students receiving yearly living allowances from 1.8 to 2.4 million yen (US$12,535–16,714). A total of 10,564 students received the stipends in fiscal 2024, with around 39% of them being foreign. Chinese citizens dominated the foreign recipients with 3,151 people, or 76%.
The matter was brought to the fore in March when a member of parliament brought it up during a sitting, arguing that the grants should be given priority to Japanese nationals. The support program was initially rolled out in fiscal 2021 to stimulate doctoral enrollment by financing students' living and research expenses.
In the June 26 panel, the education ministry highlighted that the program was "mainly to encourage Japanese students who are reluctant to study for a doctorate because of financial reasons".
The ministry added that international students usually make the decision to study for a doctorate prior to entering Japan and tend to be economically equipped to study overseas on their own. "Expenses for living will not be covered for international students", the ministry decided. Foreign students would continue to be eligible for research grants of up to 1.1 million yen under the existing system.
