The government plans to expand the scope of foreign university students eligible for its scholarships from April to provide more academic opportunities to children of the country's growing number of foreign workers, according to officials.
The education ministry is set to include in the target students who are residing in the country with their parents under a "dependent" visa on condition they have completed education through elementary, junior high and high school level in Japan and intend to work and stay in the country after graduating from university, they said.
The scholarships, provided by the Japan Student Services Organization, are currently only available to Japanese citizens and foreign nationals with visas as special permanent residents, permanent residents or long-term residents who intend to stay in Japan permanently.