The Japanese government has recognized international students as the major force for internationalizing domestic universities and contributing to the domestic labor force. This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on graduate-level international students from Asian countries studying in Japan. Employing a phenomenological research approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with international students regarding their experience studying in Japan during the pandemic and aims to illustrate the challenges they face in Japanese university and societal context. While students had diverse challenges depending on their financial situation, Japanese language knowledge, access to university, and support systems both on and off-campus, many of them showed resilience in overcoming these challenges and took advantage of the new situation for their own benefit.
Li et al. (Sat,) studied this question.