Welcome to JTEPS

Background of the study

“Internationalization” is currently back at the top of Japan's national agenda, particularly in education policy. Stays abroad are therefore a revealing case study for the investigation of ongoing changes in Japanese society. The project will collect quantitative (written questionnaire) and qualitative (personal interviews) data on the educational and career paths of young adults in Japan over a period of three years (2025-2027) - both for those with and without higher education.

Questions addressed

The quantitative data serve to investigate three research questions: (1) What factors influence the decision of young men and women to spend time abroad? (2) How does such a stay affect their early careers? (3) What impact does a stay abroad have on inequality and social mobility? The qualitative data will be used to assess the subjective meaning of a stay abroad for young Japanese people: (1) What do young adults hope to gain from a stay abroad? What role does it play in their life goals? (2) How do they perceive government support policies, school conditions, family environment and personal experiences with regard to a stay abroad? (3) How do they evaluate their stay abroad in later years? Do they believe that it enhanced their career and personality and enabled them to make a contribution to society?

Relevance of the study

The project provides the first comprehensive database for researching international experience in Japan. It allows conclusions to be drawn about social and gender-specific inequalities in individual life courses, the status and significance of experience abroad in the Japanese labor market, and the success of internationalization policies to promote global human resources.