No.22 Studies on Japanese Aid for International Student Programs: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Future Research on the ABE Initiative and other JICA-Supported Scholarship Programs

JICA’s international scholarship programs have invited future leaders from numerous low- and middle-income countries to come to Japan to acquire new knowledge and skills, empowering them to contribute more effectively to the development of their home countries. Among these programs, the ABE Initiative (the African Business Education Initiative for Youth) distinguishes itself by focusing on building and strengthening business networks between Japan and Africa and by providing internships at Japanese companies. As the first phase of a research project on the ABE Initiative, this literature review provides an overview of the academic literature on JICA scholarships and other human resource development programs with similar objectives, and presents four major research themes. The first is the ‘soft power’ of scholarships in promoting understanding and positive perceptions of Japanese society, finding that previous studies have had mixed evaluations of the soft power impacts of higher education in Japan. The second theme is ‘program quality’ in the Japanese higher education sector, which has a significant impact on the efficacy of JICA programs but has been discussed critically in the existing literature. On the other hand ‘network formation’ through international student programs has been discussed positively, particularly in relation to higher education institutions. Finally, there are differing evaluations in previous studies regarding the focus on the ‘uniqueness’ of Japanese concepts and philosophies in international student programs. This literature review has identified future areas for research via these four themes and their implications for JICA’s scholarship programs and the ABE Initiative.