Displaced learners in Japan : student evacuees and policy liminality

Abstract

Building upon a growing literature addressing the intersection of displacement and higher education, this chapter draws upon interviews with Japanese university officials to examine how so-called student evacuees are being admitted and supported by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Japan. Analysing interviews with a thematic analysis, we find that a side door to students displaced by conflict appears to be slowly opening in Japan, starting in a limited capacity in 2017 and growing thereafter. Located at the nexus of migration policy, higher education administration, and the internationalisation of higher education, we consider this topic as reflective of policy gaps and, concurrently, promising innovation in the reception of displaced learners and refugees in Japan.