The internationalisation of higher education has developed under the premise of ‘openness,’ encompassing the expansion of international student mobility, the deepening of international university partnerships, and the establishment of international collaborative networks. However, the international environment surrounding higher education has recently undergone unprecedented, rapid changes. In particular, heightened geopolitical tensions, coupled with a focus on economic security, are affecting the international role of universities, the process of internationalisation, and international student mobility. Consequently, major host countries for international students are adopting policies that run counter to the previous trend of expansive internationalisation. It can be said that the prevalent ‘attracting international students for economic benefits’ model has reached its limits, and solving domestic issues is increasingly prioritised over internationalisation. Governments are redefining international students from economic assets to, at times, security risks or even societal burdens.

Meanwhile in East Asia, policies aimed at attracting international students have become a national strategy. This is driven by domestic factors, such as under-enrolment in universities and a labour shortage stemming from the decline in the college-age population due to low birth rates. In this region, international student policies are linked to addressing domestic issues: ensuring the survival of higher education institutions and securing the future labour force. Internationalisation is integrated beyond education policy into economic and labour policy, with expectations of its societal contributions. These trends raise concerns about internationalisation becoming an end in itself, reliance on quantitative indicators such as international student numbers, and the marginalisation of educational principles in the internationalisation process.

Speaker Biography

Hiroshi Ota

Dr Hiroshi Ota is a professor in the Center for General Education at Hitotsubashi University, Japan, where he serves as Director of the Hitotsubashi University Global Education Program. His research primarily focuses on higher education policies and practices related to internationalisation and international student mobility from a comparative perspective. He has more than 150 publications in both Japanese and English, including 20 book chapters published by Springer, Routledge, SAGE, Multilingual Matters, and so on. Professor Ota serves as a vice president of the Japan Association of International Student Education (JAISE). In addition, he has been a visiting scholar for the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), a government agency that supports and promotes international education. He has also served on many selection and evaluation committees for international education and internationalisation projects organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan and other international organisations. Professor Ota received his EdM in 2001 and a PhD in Social Foundations of Education (Comparative and Global Studies in Education) in 2008 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, United States. He was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study international education administration in the United States in 1996. He was invited by the Harvard-Yenching Institute to serve as a Visiting Scholar from 2023 to 24.

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hiroshi Ota is a professor in the Center for General Education at Hitotsubashi University, Japan, where he serves as Director of the Hitotsubashi University Global Education Program.

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