Japan: High School Students Less Willing To Study Overseas

Japanese high school students are less willing to study abroad than their counterparts in the United States, China and South Korea, according to survey results released Wednesday. The survey conducted by the Japan Youth Research Institute found that 46 percent of Japanese high school students hope to study abroad, compared with 82 percent in South Korea, 58 percent in China and 53 percent in the U.S.

Asked why they don't want to study abroad, 53 percent of the Japanese students said that Japan is comfortable to live in, while 43 percent of Chinese respondents and 26 percent of South Koreans said the same about their countries.

The Japanese students opting to stay in Japan also said they lack the confidence to live alone and that it would be a hassle to live overseas.

Asked why they want to study abroad, only 17 percent of the students in Japan said they are in search of a better educational environment, far less than 77 percent in China, 39 percent in South Korea and 36 percent in the United States.

An official at the institute said that the attitudes of Japanese students "could change" if Japanese colleges switch the start of the academic year to conform to educational institutions overseas.

Original source here.

Discussion is under way among leading universities on whether to move the start of their academic year from spring to fall.