On the 19th, the Japanese Ministry of Education announced that it has designated Tokyo Welfare University in Tokyo and Nagoya Management Short-term University in Aichi as 'Improvement Guidance Schools.' This designation comes after the institutions were flagged for having high dropout rates among international students, attributed to insufficient support provided by the universities. The recent designation is the first since the new improvement system was established in 2024, reflecting the government's push for better management and support for international students.

The ministry's guidelines state that if the percentage of international students who withdraw exceeds 5%, the university may be designated for improvement support, and their names will be publicly announced. Examples of inadequate management include failure to adequately verify Japanese language proficiency or financial capability prior to admission and insufficient support for academic and living needs post-enrollment. This response follows a significant incident in 2019, where a large number of international students from Tokyo Welfare University became unaccounted for, prompting the establishment of the current oversight system.

According to the ministry, Tokyo Welfare University had 2,470 international students, with 152 withdrawals (6.2%), while Nagoya Management Short-term University, with 94 international students, reported 7 withdrawals (7.4%). If schools are designated for three consecutive years, they will be classified as 'Impropriety in Enrollment Management,' leading to a formal announcement by the ministry and notification to the immigration services. The spokesperson for Tokyo Welfare University expressed a serious commitment to addressing the issues raised by this designation and ensuring better management practices in the future.