Incentives aim to lure top Asian students to stay

The government plans to offer scholarships for Asian students to study at universities and graduate schools in Japan to encourage them to stay and work for domestic companies after graduation.

According to sources, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will launch the scholarship system in fiscal 2007 in cooperation with domestic firms interested in recruiting students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries.

The idea is to raise the number of skilled foreign nationals working in the corporate sector, the sources said.

Figures released by the industry ministry show that of about 30,000 overseas students who graduated from Japanese universities and graduate schools in fiscal 2004, only 5,700 of them found jobs here.

The program will involve special two-year courses that meet the specific needs of companies from the consumer electronics, information technology and ecology-related sectors. Classes to teach students the Japanese language will also be offered along with company internships.
The sources said the ministries are considering grants of between 200,000 and 300,000 yen a month to cover the students' tuition fees, rent and living costs.

The scholarships will be awarded annually to about 2,000 students, putting them on the fast track for corporate posts.

The ministries are also to ask the participating schools to come up with measures to help the scholarship students gain a good command of Japanese and better understand Japanese corporate culture.

Insufficient language ability and a lack of understanding of business practices here are commonly cited as reasons foreign graduates are reluctant to pursue work with Japanese firms.
Courses are to be selected following a ministry screening of university and graduate school programs nationwide.

The two ministries plan to request 6 billion yen from the fiscal 2007 budget to cover costs. That will include programs to help foreign students already enrolled on existing government scholarships to find jobs after graduating, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
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