Japan urges universities to accept students hit by US block

A Harvard sign is seen at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. [AFP]

The Japanese government has asked local universities to consider accepting students at US universities as President Donald Trump seeks to force Harvard to submit to unprecedented oversight.

The Trump administration moved last week to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students, but on Friday a judge suspended the order pending a hearing.

Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting Washington's oversight on admissions and hiring, amid his claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and "woke" liberal ideology.

Japanese Education Minister Toshiko Abe said on Tuesday that her ministry has asked Japanese universities to do what they can to help those affected.

"We have asked universities to consider possible support measures such as accepting international students enrolled in US universities so that the students can continue their studies," she told a news conference.

She said the United States is the most popular destination for Japanese students wishing to study abroad, and many of them have voiced worries about their status.

She said her ministry will do its "utmost to ensure that young people with ambition and talent can continue their studies."

The University of Tokyo, among the Japan's most prestigious universities, is considering accepting affected students in the United States, albeit on a temporary basis, the university's vice president Kaori Hayashi said in a recent interview with the Nikkei newspaper.

A spokesman for Kyoto University, also an elite school, told AFP on Wednesday that the institution was considering accepting young researchers from US universities and was also reviewing what it can do to help students in the US.

Taiwan's education ministry said it will try to assist students to transfer back to Taiwanese institutions.

But it advised Taiwanese students at Harvard to "stay calm and wait for further updates" while the legal challenge is ongoing.

"If the ban is ultimately upheld and Taiwanese students choose to return home, they may be able to continue their studies through Harvard's contingency plans (such as remote learning) or by earning transferable credits through domestic universities that have MOUs with Harvard," the ministry said in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.

Last week, Hong Kong Education Secretary Christine Choi called on universities there to welcome "outstanding students from all over the world".