Higher educational institutions in Japan, in principle, conduct all their classes in the Japanese language with only a few offering classes in English. It is extremely important, therefore, that international students wishing to study in Japan have an sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language. For this reason, many international students study the language in Japan for six months to two years before apply to higher educational institutions for admission.

1.Types and numbers

The institutions designed for students wishing to enter Japanese higher educational institutions, as of March 2001, there are mainly two types:

a) 41 schools operated by private universities
b) 294 schools accredited by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education

According to the results of a survey conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Justice in the year-end 1999, a total of 34,541 international students attended Japanese-language schools in Japan:

22,782 came from China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong)
7,776 from North and South Korea
502 from the Philippines
488 from Myanmar
359 from Thailand
2,634 from elsewhere

A few thousands students attended Japanese language institutions under the status of residence as "pre-college student". Preparatory Japanese Language Programs at private universities for international students in Japan are regular courses offered by private university. The period of the courses is less than one year. These courses have been maded for international students who wish to study Japanese-language, culture and society in Japan, or basic subjects to prepare for entrance examinations to enter an undergraduate course. International students who wish to go on to higher education may proceed to the same university, or enter other than the ones they are in for their preparatory courses. Students in these courses have an advantage of facilities, part-time work, accommodation, and welfare programs, such as medical fee subsidies as they can acquire the status of residence as "pre-college student".

2.Choosing a Japanese-language institute

The first thing to do when choosing a Japanese-language institute is to confirm which ones are authorized by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education, because the status of residence as "college student" and "pre-college student" are not granted for study at non-authorized institutes. Since the authorized institutes and their profiles are listed in "Japanese Language Institutes in Japan", available for reference in Japanese embassies and consulates overseas or on their Websites, the first step will be to refer to this handbook. In addition, obtaining further information directly from each institute's guidebook.

3. Admission qualifications and procedures

In almost all cases the qualification for entering a Japanese-language institute is to have completed 12 years of schooling in your own country. Malaysian and Philippine students who have completed only 10 or 11 years of school education do not meet this qualification. However, they can meet the qualification by completing the "Course of Preliminary Study for University Entrance" designated by Monbukagakusho. Most institutes select students through documentation based screening; some schools also hold an interview with the guarantor. The main documents that usually have to be submitted are the following:
 application form
school transcript
certificate of other studies
letter of recommendation
certificate of financial means
medical certificate
application fee (about \30,000)
guarantor related documents ( if possible)

In certain cases the documents that have to be submitted differ according to the institute, so please inquire directly. After the submission of these documents, the schools will notify applicants of screening results and, in the case of successful applicants, then begin visa application procedures.

4.Application Period

As usually, one-year and two-year courses begin in April, and 18-month courses begin in October. The deadline for applications differs according to the school, but usually it comes about four to six months prior to the beginning of the course--around October to December of the previous year for courses beginning in April and around April to June for courses beginning in October. Besides these courses, although they are very few, some schools have courses beginning in July or January. Since applicants have to obtain the application forms and make preparations for submitting them before this, and also taking into account the time needed for mailing and so on, at the latest one should begin making preparations six to eight months before the beginning of the course.