On Campus Support and Satisfaction of International Students: A Review of Japanese Literature

Abstract

Japanese universities are popular destinations for international students. A lot of efforts have been made to provide supporting services and activities to international students such as Japanese classes, counseling and consultation, job hunting and career education, exchange events, summer school, culture experience tours etc. These activities bring satisfaction to international students, which is contributed indirectly as a pulling factor for attracting international students into Japan. However, little has been known about the approaches used by different universities for supporting international students as not many reports are published in English regarding this topic. This study investigates the variety of on campus supporting services and activities provided to international students in Japanese universities and satisfaction of international students as recipients of these services. The literature for review was mainly collected from Japanese sources using Google Scholar. Data was reviewed qualitatively by comparative analysis, comparing approaches applied by different universities with regards to the elements of 300,000 international students plan and other pull factors. The results showed specific approaches, results in providing campus supporting services by different institutions. The results also imply obstacles and potential solutions to the Japanese universities to attract international students.