To Stay or to Leave: The Turnover Intentions of International Academics at Japanese Universities

The study is devoted to investigating the turnover intentions of international academics at Japanese universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 full-time international academics in Japan. The interview data were coded and analyzed through an inductive process based on a four-stage procedure. The study suggests that although many international academics perceived themselves as tokenized symbols, stimulated by the determinants ranging in the dimensions of ease of movement, internal environmental factors, and external environmental factors, the majority of international academics were more inclined to remain in Japan. The study fills in the research gap regarding international academics’ turnover intentions, it also challenges and enriches Matier’s (1990) claim, highlighting that only when faculty members perceived ease of mobility and high internal and external environmental benefits, would they terminate their employment. Implications for policymakers, scholars and university administrators are offered for future studies and institutional practices.