According to a recent article, many Japanese universities are fast approaching a time where there will not be enough local students to keep their doors open. The next couple of years, then, are crucial in determining how many of Japan's nearly 800 universities will survive the well-reported changing demographic:
Japan is approaching what some are calling “the 2018 problem” — in two years, the number of college-bound 18-year-olds will hit an all-time low and continue to shrink thereafter, according to data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Which means Japanese universities may not be able to rely much longer on a regular customer base.