TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan hosted an education fair in Japan’s Kumamoto on Tuesday, combining a forum on Taiwan's university education with a study-in-Taiwan exhibition.
The event, which aims to promote higher education exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, featured 24 universities from Taiwan and the Taiwan Mandarin Educational Resources Center. The institutions set up booths at the fair to provide study-abroad information, per CNA.
The fair attracted over 100 Japanese attendees, showcasing interest in Taiwan’s higher education system. The choice of Kumamoto as the host city reflects growing connections in the semiconductor sector, particularly with TSMC's operations there, the foundation said.
At the event, Taiwan Education Center Japan Director Kuo Yen-na (郭艶娜) introduced Taiwan's study life, traditional culture, and the development of industry-academia collaboration between Taiwan and Japan.
Representatives from four universities, including National Taiwan Normal University, National Chengchi University, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and Shih Chien University, presented the state of education in fields such as business management, AI, semiconductors, and design.
Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan Director Li Tsai-yen (李蔡彥) said that Japan is a significant source of international students for Taiwan, with over 8,700 Japanese students studying in the nation last year. According to the Ministry of Education, Japan ranked as Taiwan's fourth-largest source of international students in 2023, with 8,427 students out of a total of 116,038, following Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Japanese students in Taiwan mainly pursue bachelor's and master's degrees or enroll in Mandarin language programs. An increasing number are also choosing science, engineering, and semiconductor-related fields.
The ministry plans to increase the number of international students in Taiwan to 320,000 by 2030. This expansion will be achieved by improving scholarship programs, offering tuition reductions, and expanding internship opportunities with local companies.
