THE Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry plans to cover tuition and living expenses for select international students from Asia studying at medical schools in Japan.

This is the first time for the ministry to attempt such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of both contributing to the international community and expanding use of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals around Asia.

The initiative is expected to start as early as fiscal 2026 and the ministry plans to accept about 20 students. The programme will be conducted on a trial basis to examine its effectiveness. Applicants will be sought via the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia, an international organisation headquartered in Indonesia and funded by Japan.

Those selected will receive Japanese language training in their home countries and then come to Japan. They will study at university medical schools for six years, toward obtaining a doctor’s license. The government will cover their tuition fees and all their living expenses. The ministry has earmarked Yen290 million for related spending in a supplementary budget for fiscal 2024.

The ministry will decide the details going forward, such as which countries will be eligible, how to seek out applicants and which universities will accept the international students. The ministry has in mind Vietnamese students who will be able to work as doctors in their home country if they meet certain criteria.

According to the ministry, tuition fees for medical schools range from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen a year and international students often face a language barrier. While some universities have scholarships and general support programs for international students, the number of international medical students coming to Japan has been flat.

As of May last year, there were 217 international students, including short-stay students, studying at the medical schools of public and private universities across the nation, accounting for less than 1pc of all medical school students in Japan, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation and others.

“We would like international students to not just study medicine in Japan but also learn about the high quality of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals,” said an official at the ministry. “If they introduce these things in their countries after returning home, it will help grow the Japanese economy.”

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2024