The number of foreign students in Japan as of May 2020 fell 10.4% compared with a year earlier, to 279,597, a survey has shown, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to cancel or postpone their study plans.

The decline came after the number of foreign students enrolled at universities, Japanese-language schools and other educational institutions in the country totaled 312,214 in May 2019, marking the highest level on record and the seventh straight year of growth.

By country and region, the number of Chinese students studying in Japan stood at 121,845 as of May 1, 2020, down 2.1% from the same date the previous year, according to the Japan Student Services Organization.