Push to attract Japanese students here

AUSTRALIA'S trade and tourism agencies are making a renewed push to boost the number of Japanese visiting the country to study English or vocational courses and for work experience.

The number of Japanese visitors to Australia has dwindled in recent years and the country has fallen behind India, China and South Korea as a source of foreign students.

Austrade's Tokyo office and Tourism Australia have begun a campaign to capitalise on the failure of Japan's universities and corporations to produce globally savvy staff capable of competing in the international economy.

The Step Up in Australia campaign is designed to get Japanese university students to undertake some study here and young graduates to pursue further study and internships.

The head of Tourism Australia in Japan, Kaz Hori, said the program allowed Australia to present the full range of study abroad options to lure Japanese students.


"Australia is the pre-eminent destination for school excursions from Japan and attracts a large number of short-term language students each year," he said. "What this initiative outlines is the next step in the career development of young Japanese, providing them with a step-up opportunity to compete in a globalised world."

Today's generation of young Japanese is more reluctant to travel and work overseas than their parents' generation, resulting in more insular and less sophisticated employees.

And the university sector in Japan is under fire for failing to produce graduates with the ability to speak English at high enough level to compete with their counterparts from rising Asian powers such as China, South Korea and India.

A recent report from Austrade on developing Japan's human capital found the country faced a critical skills deficiency. As Japanese companies are increasingly looking to bolster their presence overseas, there is a widespread realisation that Japan lacks globally literate people capable of negotiating the challenges of international business.

The Japanese government is aware of these faults and is working on reforms, while a growing number of university campuses are offering courses delivered in English amid efforts to make universities more multicultural.

Japan also wants to increase the number of foreign students in the country from the present level of 100,000 to 300,000.

But, meantime, the federal government believes there is an opportunity for Australia, which is in almost the same time zone as Japan, to help bridge this gap.

Austrade has begun approaching Japanese corporations to explain the merits of sending employees to Australia to further their skills in English, or do short courses in global or Asian business studies.

The best performing Japanese companies are increasingly shifting their focus to the rest of Asia as the domestic market shrinks amid ongoing economic stagnation.

The Japanese branch of KFC is the only example so far of how the scheme may work. The company sends employees to Adelaide to study English, then brings them to Sydney to meet the Australian management of the chain and for work experience.

To launch the campaign, the Australian government offered two scholarships - one for a university student and one for an employee - to do a Step Up program at the University of NSW.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/push-to-attract-japanese-students-here/story-e6frgcjx-1226079461717

Keidanren to launch scholarships for students studying abroad

The Japan Business Federation said Monday it will launch scholarships next year to support students studying abroad, given that young Japanese people are said to have grown reluctant to study or work overseas.
The nation's largest business lobby, known as Keidanren, plans to provide annual scholarships of 1 million yen each to 30 students from 13 universities, including Tohoku University and Doshisha University, who will study at foreign colleges for one year on exchange programs.

The number of universities covered by the scholarships will be gradually increased.

The federation will also support their efforts to find jobs after they return home as students are often concerned that studying abroad would affect their ability to secure employment.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9NQVU500&show_article=1

University in Kyoto to offer doctoral course on 'manga'

Kyoto Seika University will offer a doctoral course on studies of Japanese "manga" comics in fiscal 2012, the private university in the city of Kyoto said Tuesday.
The university will be the first Japanese university to offer a doctorate in the subject, during which students will study the theory of manga making and actually produce manga, the university said, adding the course will allow for enrollment of four students.

German art scholar Jaqueline Berndt, manga artist Keiko Takemiya and other active authors and editors will give lectures as part of the planned doctoral course.

The university opened the manga department in 2000, the first of its kind in the country, and established a master's degree program in 2010.

The university decided to offer a doctoral program after receiving requests for such a program from its students, it said. It also took into consideration foreign students who asked for a valid degree in the subject.

The university will accept applications for the course between next Jan. 6 and 20. An entrance examination is slated for Feb. 7, the university said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9NMTJN01&show_article=1

Visa perks eyed to lure foreigners

The government on Thursday outlined plans to give preferential treatment to foreigners with specialized skills to encourage them to work in Japan.

According to the Justice Ministry, the preferential treatment will be based on a point system that will allow visas of up to three years to be extended to five years. It will go into effect by the end of the year amid increasing international competition for competent human resources, especially engineers.

The points will be determined by checking annual income, work experience and other factors, with visa extensions or other preferential treatment given to those with a certain level of points.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110610a9.html

Govt to ease visa rules to lure students

The government plans to ease the academic requirements for obtaining work visas, thereby making it easier for foreign graduates of Japanese vocational schools to work in this country, sources said Monday.

The move is aimed at attracting more foreigners to study in Japan, the sources said.

The Justice Ministry plans to revise the relevant ordinance shortly, with the new policy to be implemented in late June at the earliest.

Currently, work visas are in principle issued only to foreign nationals who hold a bachelor degree or higher.

Exceptions can be made for foreign students who stay in Japan and find jobs after graduating from Japanese vocational schools, but not if the students return to their home countries after graduation.

In 2009, the ministry conducted a survey of the employment histories of foreign students attending Japanese vocational schools, and found that about 70 percent of them would likely be able to find jobs in this nation.

Many foreigners attending Japanese vocational schools are believed to have returned home since the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, without applying for reentry permits. Relaxing the academic requirements for work visas could encourage such students to return to this country, the observers said.

According to a survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, there were 27,872 foreign students at Japanese vocational schools as of May last year.

It is hoped that relaxing the academic requirements could boost the number of foreign students who obtain work visas by more than 10,000 per year, the sources said.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110530004016.htm