According to a report by Epoch Times on June 17, 2025, the number of Japanese schools (including high school sections) in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou saw a decrease in the number of students studying in China. This year, there were 3,226 students, which is a decline of 382 students compared to the previous year, marking a 10.6% decrease. It is the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that a downward trend in student numbers has been observed, sparking concerns about the strategic adjustments of Japanese companies in China and the flow of personnel.
The decrease in the number of Japanese students in China for the first time in five years can be attributed to factors such as personal safety concerns. According to statistics from the Japan Overseas Children’s Education Promotion Foundation cited by Asahi Shimbun on June 16, prior to the pandemic, the number of Japanese students in China had consistently remained above 4,000 students, but in 2020, due to the outbreak, it plummeted to 2,888 students. Since then, there has been a trend of recovery, with the number rising to 3,608 students in 2024. However, the latest data shows a decline across the board in 2025, with a reduction in student numbers at schools in various regions, notably in Hangzhou where the number decreased from 61 students in the previous year to 41.
Currently, there are a total of 11 schools in nine cities in mainland China that have Japanese schools, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chongqing, and Hangzhou.
In response to the decline in Japanese students studying in China, Mr. Liu, the operator of a teahouse in Shenzhen, expressed in an interview with Epoch Times that the decrease is largely due to concerns about the safety of their children. He stated, “Since last year, there have been incidents such as the knife attack on a school bus in Suzhou, which resulted in 3 casualties, and the stabbing death of a 10-year-old boy in Shenzhen on his way to school. These incidents have raised strong concerns among Japanese parents about the personal safety of their children studying in China, leading them to choose to send their children back to Japan.”
According to Asahi Shimbun’s analysis, the reasons for the decline in the number of Japanese students in Chinese schools include adjustments in corporate deployment policies and a series of recent social security incidents. Events such as the knife attack on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province on June 24, 2024, resulting in casualties including Japanese nationals, as well as the stabbing death of a 10-year-old boy on his way to school in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on September 18 of the same year have garnered widespread attention in Japanese media and social platforms, intensifying the concerns of Japanese expatriate parents in China about child safety.
Regarding the occurrence of two stabbing incidents involving Japanese children in China within three months, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to such incidents as “isolated events” and promised to enhance security measures. However, similar statements have been used in response to attacks on American teachers, raising questions about China’s ability and attitude in handling crises.
An anonymous Japanese company employee revealed to Asahi Shimbun that since the aforementioned incidents, their company has implemented a policy of “preemptive repatriation of family members,” with some Japanese companies even providing temporary evacuation subsidies to address parents’ anxieties.
Furthermore, the first decline in Japanese students in China in five years is closely related to the business environment in China. Asahi Shimbun also pointed out that the overall layout of Japanese companies in China is undergoing adjustments. In addition to factors such as rising labor costs and increased geopolitical risks, more and more enterprises have been inclined towards “localization of employment” in recent years, reducing long-term dispatch of Japanese employees and instead hiring local Chinese talents.
Mr. Ling, a former Japanese company executive familiar with the operation of Japanese companies in China, believes that “China’s top three investment destinations for foreign capital are the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The decline in the number of students at Japanese schools in China not only reflects a reassessment of safety and educational environment by families, but also indicates a change in confidence of Japanese companies in the Chinese market.”
Another economist, who is a former teacher at Xi’an Jiaotong University and well-versed in China’s foreign investment policies, Mr. Huang (alias), expressed that with the relocation of the industrial chain, foreign enterprises including Japanese companies have had to explore new investment environments, such as in countries like Vietnam and India. He stated, “Japanese companies were a crucial component of foreign investment in China’s manufacturing industry in the past, but now some companies have moved their factories to Southeast Asia. This is not only due to economic considerations but also related to long-term evaluations of institutions and security stability.”
Huang mentioned that the phenomenon of Japanese companies withdrawing will affect the confidence of other foreign enterprises in China, leading to a chain reaction and further accelerating the pace of foreign capital withdrawal from China. Some interviewees believe that the trend of foreign capital withdrawal from China has entered an irreversible period.