Abstract
Japan's “Highly Skilled Foreign Professional Visa” system allows qualified foreigners to apply for permanent resident after residing in Japan for one year. Under this system, international postgraduate students in Japan have become the largest beneficiaries. Recently, amid China's economic slowdown, the number of Chinese postgraduate students immigrating has gradually increased. Beyond immigration policy, personal and macro-environmental factors also affect the immigration intentions of Chinese postgraduate students. In this case, how the immigration tendency of Chinese postgraduate students in Japan is affected is an urgent issue to be discussed. This study uses a detailed questionnaire and in-depth interviews to investigate immigration intentions of Chinese postgraduate students studying in Japan and factors influencing their decisions. Findings show that on a personal level, factors including “university location,” “marital status,” and “Japanese-Language Proficiency Test level” significantly influence choices. “Whether the university is eligible for bonus points” and “parents' attitudes toward immigration” are highlighted. On a macro level, employment opportunities and income for Chinese in Japan strongly impact decisions. Interviews further reveal that, given China's economic downturn, the “high employment rate of graduates in Japan” attracts more students to immigrate.
