According to the Japan Student Solutions Organization (JASSO), 91,054 Japanese trainees studied abroad in fiscal 2024, up 1,875 from the previous year but still around 20% below the record 115,146 students tape-recorded in financial 2018.
The figures come as inbound movement continues to increase. According to JASSO, the number of worldwide students in Japan reached a record 408,069 in fiscal 2025, exceeding 400,000 for the very first time in the organisation’s data.
More than 60% of Japanese trainees studying abroad in fiscal 2024 participated in programs lasting less than one month, with the variety of short-term individuals rising by 3,257 year-on-year to 60,301.
Destination preferences are shifting. The number of Japanese trainees studying in Asian countries increased by 2,401 to 36,904, while the number heading to North America fell by 1,775 to 19,363.
The JASSO study linked the continued gap in between current outbound numbers and the 2018 peak partly to the weak yen, which has actually increased overseas tuition and living expenses for Japanese students.
Separate findings from the JAOS Study Abroad Research Institute (JSARI) suggest comparable patterns beyond university-led movement programs.
According to the study, 168,931 Japanese nationals participated in overseas educational travel and research study abroad programs through 41 JAOS member organisations in 2025, including 138,421 participants in school trips and research study trips and 30,510 trainees in private research study abroad programs.
Educational travel represented 82% of all participants in the study, highlighting the growing role of short-term and group-based international experiences in Japan’s outbound movement landscape.
The institute kept in mind that a member firm reported extra research study tour programs that had not been included in previous years’ data. Of these, 117,156 trainees participated through junior high, high schools and local government programs, while a further 21,265 took part through universities and occupation colleges.
Distance, lower expenses and the schedule of English-taught programs are making Asia a progressively appealing’near and affordable’ choice for Japanese students
JSARI report
The report discovered that long-lasting language research study of three months or more had actually been up to around half of 2019 levels. It associated the decrease in specific research study abroad to increasing costs connected to the weak yen and worldwide inflation, alongside changing immigration policies in major destination countries including Australia, Canada and the United States.
Australia stayed the most popular destination for the second successive year, bring in 32,727 trainees and accounting for 19% of all individuals. The report said Australia’s popularity was supported by the schedule of Japanese language education, beneficial school calendar positioning and understandings of safety and stability.
Taiwan ranked second total with 28,618 students, followed by the United States, Singapore and the UK. The report also highlighted growing interest in Asian destinations such as Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.
“Distance, lower expenses and the accessibility of English-taught programs are making Asia a progressively appealing ‘near and inexpensive’ choice for Japanese trainees,” the report said.
For secondary school academic travel, Taiwan was the leading destination ahead of Australia and the United States, while Australia, the UK and the United States were the top locations for university-led educational travel.
JSARI further recommended that expanding international education chances within Japan might be reshaping outgoing mobility patterns. The report pointed to the development of International Baccalaureate, Cambridge and dual-diploma paths, which enable students to gain global direct exposure without necessarily studying overseas.
The advancements come as the Japanese federal government pursues a target of sending 500,000 trainees abroad every year by 2033.
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