@techreport{oai:jicari.repo.nii.ac.jp:00001093,
 author = {Nakasato, Lauren},
 month = {Sep},
 note = {JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, The COVID-19 pandemic has left no corner of our lives untouched. This exploratory report
examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international student mobility to Japan,
illuminating recent mobility trends and possible driving factors behind these patterns. To
contextualize international student mobility to Japan within broader mobility shifts, international
and country-specific reports and statistics were analyzed. To investigate possible factors behind
these trends, interviews with four university faculty and administrators responsible for
international programming and seven international students enrolled in degree programs at
Japanese universities during COVID-19 were conducted. The analysis finds that Japan’s emphasis
on degree-seeking rather than short-term or exchange students has mitigated enrollment drops at
Japanese universities in comparison to other popular study abroad destinations. Further, degreeseeking
students prioritize safety and degree acquisition over in-country "study abroad
experience.” The findings suggest that as universities endeavor to define the meaning and purpose
of online initiatives in international programming, shifting student perceptions of the value of
study abroad should not be overlooked. This has implications for the future role of online learning
in international education, a central debate for universities devising internationalization strategies
for the post-COVID world.},
 title = {Student Mobility to Japan in the Age of COVID-19: A Matter of Degree},
 year = {2022}
}