Starting with the 2026 academic year, the Japanese education ministry has decided to use a special mechanism to reduce the cap on university enrollment in an effort to recruit exceptionally outstanding international students.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Ministry states that international student enrollment may surpass the fixed capacity by less than 11% in the event of big departments or faculties with an admission quota of 300 or more.

To maintain educational quality, major departments are subject to a stringent overall enrollment cap of fewer than 105% capacity under the existing system. Universities risk consequences like reduced government funding if they go over this cap.

During the last three years, colleges that have fulfilled certain requirements—such as having no legal infractions, an overall enrollment capacity rate of 90% or more, and sound financial standing—will be eligible for the special measure.

Plans for expanding the number of overseas students must be submitted by universities. The ministry will assess the plans and look at how they handle enrollment, paying special attention to the dropout rate of these students, before granting certification on a faculty-by-faculty basis.

The ministry's study will include an assessment of international students' ability to pay for their enrollment fees.

The focus will be on initiatives to boost student enrollment from the Group of Seven countries, India, and Southeast Asia—regions that have been identified as government priority areas—in order to foster diversity.

International undergraduate students accounted for 16% of the student body in Britain and 14% in Canada, according to a poll conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In Japan, however, this percentage stayed at 3% in 2021.

The Council for the Creation of Future Education of the government suggested in April 2023 that the cap on overseas students be increased to 400,000 by 2033. The council also demanded more adaptability in the way that university enrollment is managed.

Regarding the implementation of this extraordinary measure, the ministry started asking the public for feedback on July 25.