The education ministry is considering limiting the financial support it provides to doctoral students to assist with living expenses so that the funding is only made available to Japanese nationals, according to a draft proposal unveiled by an expert panel on Thursday.
The Ph.D. aid program has recently come under fire from some members of parliament, who point out that nearly 40% of those receiving the support are international students despite the fact that the fund aims to foster future human resources in Japan.
According to the education ministry, of the 10,564 students who received the aid in fiscal 2024 around 4,125 were international students, including 2,904 from China.
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