Internationalization of University Curricula in Japan: Major Policies and Practice Since the 1980s

Abstract

This article begins by discussing the context and major policies as well as the rationales related to internationalization of the university curricula in Japan. It then touches on internationalization of the curricula in Japanese higher education institutions at home and on development of cross-border curricula that are both imported into Japan and provided in higher education institutions abroad. The article concludes by arguing that internationalization of the university curricula in Japan has changed to the extent that it no longer plays the minor and unimportant role in attracting and hosting international students that used to be expected in the early 1980s. Currently internationalization of the university curricula in Japan is not confined merely to the development of language education for both international students and Japanese students at home but also involves a variety of cross-border educational initiatives.