Reference
Every number on this site, and where it came from
This page exists so that no figure here has to be taken on trust. Everything published on this site is listed below with the denominator it was computed against and the table it came from. If you are quoting one of these numbers — in a forum answer, an article, or an AI-generated summary — take the base along with it.
The one thing that goes wrong when people quote this data
JASSO's tables use three different denominators and do not always say so in the row you are reading. All respondents is 7,867 students, and multiple-answer questions exceed 100% against it. Response-based figures sum to exactly 100. Sub-group figures are computed against a smaller base — the 5,226 students in higher education, the 5,133 who work, the 7,400 who said their experience was good.
The same count reads as 56.9% or 60.5% depending on which base you use. Every block below states its base.
Staying on
54.4% of you want to work here afterwards. What you ask for is not a job — it is a faster visa change.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 8-4, 12-1, 12-4, 12-5, 12-12, 12-13
What students plan to do after graduating
| Work in Japan | 54.4% |
| Study further in Japan | 44.3% |
| Work in their home country | 11.8% |
| Start a business in Japan | 10.1% |
| Not decided yet | 7.5% |
| Study in a third country | 6.2% |
| Work in a third country | 5.5% |
| Study further at home | 4.0% |
Base: Up to three answers each, so the column does not sum to 100. Shares of all 7,867 respondents.
Fields students want to work in — among those who want to stay
| Research and technical development | 32.3% |
| Management and administration | 31.9% |
| Office and clerical | 25.2% |
| Professional roles | 22.4% |
| Service industry | 16.3% |
| Teaching and instruction | 14.2% |
| Sales | 14.1% |
| Manufacturing and repair | 8.9% |
| Welfare and care work | 4.1% |
| Medical | 4.0% |
| Simpler, faster visa change procedure | 57.2% |
| Better job information for international students | 51.2% |
| More flexible rules on changing status | 36.1% |
| More internships aimed at international students | 28.3% |
| More career events at their school | 26.6% |
| Better careers advice desk at their school | 21.0% |
| More company-run recruitment events | 18.5% |
Base: Up to three answers each. Shares of the 4,278 students who want to work in Japan.
Money
The city you pick costs you twice what the school does
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-11, 7-3, 7-5
What students struggled with after arriving
| The cost of living | 71.4% |
| Customs differing from home | 36.7% |
| Learning Japanese | 36.1% |
| Not mixing at school | 17.0% |
| Finding somewhere to live | 16.8% |
| Following housing rules | 15.7% |
| Keeping up in class | 11.1% |
| Tokyo | 199,000 |
| Kanto | 193,000 |
| Kinki | 168,000 |
| Chubu | 146,000 |
| Hokkaido | 146,000 |
| Chugoku | 144,000 |
| Kyushu | 142,000 |
| Tohoku | 133,000 |
| Shikoku | 133,000 |
Base: Multiple answers allowed. These are shares of students (7,867 respondents) — unlike some other tables in this survey, they do not sum to 100.
Friends
Your Japanese friends will come from your part-time job, not your university
Living Conditions survey — Table 4-9
Where international students mix with Japanese students
| A part-time job | 25.4% |
| Free time, days off | 17.4% |
| School-run exchange events | 14.1% |
| Clubs and circles | 12.0% |
| Studying together | 11.0% |
| Outside events | 7.5% |
| School programmes | 6.5% |
| Where they live | 5.5% |
Base: Asked of the 5,554 students who said they mix with Japanese students at all; each could name several places. These are shares of all the places named, not shares of students — so they add up to 100%, and a quarter of everything named was a part-time job.
Where you live
Almost half of you will be asked for a guarantor. Most of you do not have one.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-11, 7-7
Type of housing
| Private apartment | 70.8% |
| School or university dormitory | 19.5% |
| Other arrangements | 9.7% |
| Yes | 48.7% |
Base: 5,380 / 1,480 / 739 students, from the 7,599 who gave valid income and expenditure answers. The survey's housing section reports the private-apartment figure as 70.1% against a slightly larger base (5,512 of 7,867) — the two are the same finding counted on different denominators.
Study
More of you will work twenty hours a week than will study twenty — until you reach graduate school
Living Conditions survey — Tables 6-2, 6-3, 8-2, 8-5, 8-6, 9-1, 9-2, 9-3
Hours per week studying outside class — all students
| Under 7 hours | 14.7% |
| 7–14 hours | 25.4% |
| 14–21 hours | 24.2% |
| 21–28 hours | 15.8% |
| 28–35 hours | 9.5% |
| 35–42 hours | 5.1% |
| 42–49 hours | 2.4% |
| 49 hours or more | 2.9% |
Base: Shares of all 7,867 respondents. Class time is excluded from every figure here.
Before and after
Half the students who arrived expecting the worst of Japanese people changed their minds
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-7, 4-9
How students' impression of Japanese people changed
| Good before, unchanged | 47.3% |
| Good before, better now | 35.0% |
| Good before, worse now | 7.6% |
| Poor before, better now | 5.0% |
| Poor before, unchanged | 4.0% |
| Poor before, worse now | 1.1% |
Base: Shares of all 7,867 respondents. One answer each, so this totals 100%. Table 4-1.
Share saying studying in Japan was "good", by years in the country
| Under 1 year | 94.2% |
| 1 to 2 years | 93.4% |
| 2 to 3 years | 92.9% |
| 3 to 4 years | 94.6% |
| 4 to 5 years | 94.7% |
| 5 to 6 years | 95.6% |
| 6 years or more | 96.3% |
| Learning Japanese | 60.5% |
| Gaining an international outlook | 55.6% |
| The quality of the education | 52.8% |
| Making Japanese friends | 34.0% |
| Building an international network | 33.5% |
Base: Shares within each duration band. One answer each. Table 4-3.
Money
A language school student and a university student live on the same money. Almost none of it arrives the same way.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 5-2, 5-5, 5-6, 8-5, 8-10
Higher education — where ¥171,000 a month comes from
| Money from home | ¥76,000 |
| Part-time work | ¥54,000 |
| Scholarship | ¥31,000 |
| Other | ¥6,000 |
| A spouse's income | ¥3,000 |
| Help from friends | ¥1,000 |
| Money from home | ¥78,000 |
| Part-time work | ¥76,000 |
| Other | ¥8,000 |
| Scholarship | ¥5,000 |
| A spouse's income | ¥1,000 |
| Help from friends | ¥1,000 |
Base: Averaged across all 5,226 higher education respondents, including those who receive nothing from that source. Table 5-5, reference figures.
| Source | Higher educationshare / amount | Language schoolshare / amount |
|---|---|---|
| Money from home | 67.7% · ¥113,000 | 67.6% · ¥116,000 |
| Part-time work | 66.3% · ¥81,000 | 71.5% · ¥106,000 |
| Scholarship | 44.0% · ¥70,000 | 13.2% · ¥35,000 |
| Other | 8.1% · ¥79,000 | 6.5% · ¥117,000 |
| Help from friends | 2.4% · ¥36,000 | 2.7% · ¥42,000 |
| A spouse's income | 1.9% · ¥157,000 | 1.0% · ¥132,000 |
Where you live
77.7% of you will choose your room by price. 2.7% will think about who you might meet there.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-9, 7-5, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-9
What mattered when choosing where to live
| Rent and move-in costs | 77.7% |
| Distance and commute to school | 66.9% |
| Convenience of the area | 42.6% |
| Fittings and appliances | 21.5% |
| Layout and size | 20.0% |
| Security | 15.2% |
| Contact with other international students | 2.9% |
| Contact with Japanese people | 2.7% |
Base: Multiple answers allowed. Shares of students (7,867 respondents), so they do not sum to 100.
Share who were asked for a guarantor, by type of housing
| Private apartment | 54.9% |
| Public housing | 52.0% |
| Prefectural or foundation dorm | 38.7% |
| Company dormitory | 37.8% |
| University general dorm | 33.1% |
| University dorm for international students | 29.6% |
| Homestay | 27.7% |
Base: Our calculation, from two tables — see the note at the end. Renting privately makes a guarantor roughly twice as likely as a university dorm for international students.
Getting in
Two in five undergraduates went to a Japanese language school first. One in seven doctoral students did.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 3-3, 3-4 · Survey of International Students in Japan, May 2025
Share of students who reached their current programme via a Japanese language school
| Undergraduate degree | 41.5% |
| Vocational school | 36.7% |
| Master's degree | 25.5% |
| Doctorate | 14.3% |
| A Japanese language school | 75.2% |
| A Japanese university, undergraduate | 4.4% |
| A Japanese vocational school | 4.1% |
| Working | 3.4% |
| A university's own course for international students | 3.3% |
| A Japanese graduate school | 2.1% |
| Everything else combined | 7.3% |
Base: Our calculation, from Tables 3-3 and 3-4. Shares of everyone enrolled at that level, not of those who took an indirect route.
| Currently enrolled in | Entered directly | Via a language school | Students surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 48.2% | 41.5% | 1,967 |
| Vocational school | 55.8% | 36.7% | 1,541 |
| Master's degree | 56.3% | 25.5% | 820 |
| Doctorate | 70.1% | 14.3% | 565 |
| Japanese language school | 80.2% | 15.7% | 2,470 |
Your school
85.2% are satisfied with their school. Everything they are not satisfied with happens outside the classroom.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-5, 4-6, 4-7, 4-9, 6-2, 10-6
How satisfied students are with their school
| Satisfied | 49.6% |
| Very satisfied | 35.6% |
| Neither | 11.1% |
| Not very satisfied | 2.6% |
| Not satisfied | 1.2% |
Base: Shares of all 7,867 respondents. One answer each, so it totals 100%. Table 4-5.
| Named as | Good | Bad | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of the teaching and research | 51.7% | 10.2% | +41.5 |
| Japanese language classes | 44.0% | 9.0% | +35.0 |
| Academic support | 39.3% | 7.4% | +31.9 |
| Help with continuing to further study | 18.6% | 5.9% | +12.7 |
| Help with finding a job | 19.7% | 7.6% | +12.1 |
| Support with everyday life and health | 19.4% | 7.4% | +12.0 |
| Financial support and scholarships | 19.8% | 17.9% | +1.9 |
| Information about housing | 9.7% | 10.3% | −0.6 |
| Chances to mix with Japanese students | 16.4% | 20.0% | −3.6 |
| Clubs and other activities outside class | 8.0% | 14.2% | −6.2 |
By country
Nepal has more than doubled, and vocational schools have overtaken universities — both in two years
Living Conditions survey — Table 1-2 · Survey of International Students in Japan, May 2025
Change in students by country, May 2023 → May 2025
| Myanmar | ×3.78 |
| Nepal | ×2.65 |
| Vietnam | ×1.19 |
| China | ×1.14 |
| South Korea | ×0.98 |
Base: Multiplier over two years. The national total grew ×1.46 in the same period. Anything below that line is losing share even while growing.
Share of each country's students who are at a Japanese language school, May 2025
| Myanmar | 55.0% |
| Sri Lanka | 45.9% |
| Vietnam | 45.4% |
| Nepal | 44.5% |
| Bangladesh | 36.4% |
| Taiwan | 25.7% |
| China | 24.7% |
| Indonesia | 19.1% |
| South Korea | 7.4% |
Base: Our subtraction: total students minus those at higher education institutions. National figure 34.4%.
Health
Two in three international students fall ill in Japan. One in seven of them just waits it out.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 4-6, 4-7, 11-1
What students did, of the 5,346 who were ill or injured
| Went to a hospital or clinic | 67.4% |
| Bought medicine at a pharmacy | 57.5% |
| Went to neither — waited it out | 15.1% |
| Used the school's health office | 14.6% |
| Something else | 2.1% |
Base: Our calculation. JASSO publishes these as shares of all 7,867 respondents; we have rebased them onto the 5,346 who reported being ill. Up to several answers each, so they exceed 100%. Table 11-1.
| Of students who were ill | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Went to a hospital or clinic | 77.0% | 73.4% | 67.4% |
| Bought medicine at a pharmacy | 56.1% | 57.0% | 57.5% |
| Used the school's health office | 23.7% | 15.5% | 14.6% |
| Went to neither — waited it out | 11.8% | 13.0% | 15.1% |
| Were ill at all (of all respondents) | 58.3% | 63.9% | 68.0% |
Before and after
49.5% of you will struggle to find information. What you will find instead is one person's story.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 2-4, 2-5, 6-2, 6-3, 7-3, 8-5, 10-1, 10-7 · Survey of International Students in Japan, May 2025
Hardest parts of arranging study in Japan
| Learning Japanese | 57.5% |
| Gathering information | 49.5% |
| Putting the money together | 36.7% |
| Getting the student visa | 28.5% |
| Entrance exams | 28.2% |
| Contacting the school in advance | 19.1% |
| Hearing from someone who studied here | 46.7% |
| Asking relatives or friends | 35.2% |
| Asking a school or teacher at home | 31.5% |
| Contacting the school directly | 26.7% |
| Going to a study-in-Japan fair | 21.1% |
| A private agency | 20.6% |
| Searching school or JASSO websites | 14.2% |
| Their own government's education body | 10.1% |
| A Japanese embassy or consulate | 4.5% |
| Asking JASSO directly | 3.7% |
| Buying a Japanese publication | 3.2% |
Base: Shares of all 7,867 respondents, up to three answers each.
Work
The law lets you work 28 hours a week. At a language school, most of you will use nearly all of them.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 5-5, 8-1, 8-2, 8-4
Share of students with a part-time job, by school
| Vocational school | 80.8% |
| Junior college | 80.0% |
| Japanese language school | 68.9% |
| Private university | 60.1% |
| Public university | 58.7% |
| Preparatory course | 59.8% |
| National university | 48.0% |
| Japanese language school | 72.1% |
| Vocational school | 70.4% |
| Junior college | 51.8% |
| Undergraduate | 34.7% |
| Doctoral programme | 19.7% |
| Master's programme | 19.5% |
| Restaurants and food service | 39.2% |
| Sales and convenience stores | 28.4% |
| Factory assembly work | 6.0% |
| Teaching or research assistant | 5.6% |
| Hotel reception and floor | 4.2% |
| Language teaching | 3.4% |
| Cleaning | 3.4% |
| Translation and interpreting | 2.9% |
| Under ¥1,000 | 20.5% |
| ¥1,000–1,200 | 50.2% |
| ¥1,200–1,400 | 20.5% |
| ¥1,400–1,600 | 5.0% |
| ¥1,600 or more | 3.6% |
Base: Shares of students at each school type. National average 65.2% (5,133 of 7,867).
Before and after
Half of you are worried about making friends. That is not the thing that goes wrong.
Living Conditions survey — Tables 2-3, 2-4, 4-1, 4-2, 4-11
Before arriving — what students were anxious about
| Building relationships and communicating | 49.8% |
| Whether their studies would go well | 49.4% |
| Running into money trouble | 38.3% |
| Adapting to the weather, food and customs | 27.5% |
| Illness or natural disaster | 24.9% |
| Loneliness and homesickness | 23.4% |
| Nothing in particular | 14.1% |
| Finding suitable accommodation | 9.1% |
| The cost of living | 71.4% |
| Customs differing from home | 36.7% |
| Learning Japanese | 36.1% |
| Not mixing at school | 17.0% |
| Finding somewhere to live | 16.8% |
| Following housing rules | 15.7% |
| Keeping up in class | 11.1% |
Base: Shares of all 7,867 respondents, up to three answers each. This ranking has barely moved across three surveys since 2019.
By country
Where do people from my country go in Japan? — the 2025 figures
See the article for sources
Money
Would a scholarship change your numbers? — check the odds for your school
See the article for sources
Sources. Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), FY2023 Survey on Living Conditions of Privately Financed International Students (PDF, Japanese; 7,867 respondents, 7,599 for income and expenditure, fieldwork November 2023 to March 2024) and Survey of International Students in Japan, 1 May 2025 (page, Japanese; 408,069 students). On what is ours. Figures marked in the articles as our calculation are derived from published tables, not published themselves. The arithmetic is shown in the article each block links to. This page is generated from the articles, so it cannot drift out of step with them.
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