The fates of a Yamagata Prefecture junior college, its Tokyo branch and 265 Chinese students scheduled to be enrolled in October hang in the balance because immigration authorities have refused to grant them visas after finding that many were violating immigration laws.
Immigration authorities also said the number of new students exceeds the school's quota -- an unusual situation when junior colleges nationwide are facing financial difficulties as the number of young people declines due to the lower birth rate.
For similar reasons, about 200 Chinese students to be enrolled at a technical school affiliated with a college in Fukuoka Prefecture have also been refused entry to Japan.
The college in question, Sakata Junior College in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, is a two-year institution attended mostly by Chinese students.