JAPAN: Foreign student numbers double in a decade

Over the past decade, the number of foreign students seeking higher education in Japan has more than doubled, reports the Daily Yomiuri. In contrast, the number of Japanese students going abroad for their education is waning. In 2008, 123,829 foreign students were studying at the nation's universities and vocational schools, a 240% increase over the 1998 figure, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation.

However, the number of Japanese students studying overseas has been on the decline since 2004, when a record 82,945 students sought education at foreign institutions. In 2002, nearly 46,000 Japanese were studying in the United States; in 2007, that number had shrunk to 34,000.

"While some of that is due to a smaller overall pool of students, today's Japanese university students tend to be more inward-looking, preferring to stay in Japan," said an official in charge of promoting student exchanges at the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
Full report on the Daily Yomiuri site