Professor Matthias Hennings (CIEC) Publishes New Book on the Internationalization of Education in Japan

Professor Matthias Hennings (Center for International Education and Cooperation) has edited a new volume published by Routledge:

Internationalization of Education in Japan: Policies, Practices, and Impact

Edited by Steve Entrich and Matthias Hennings

The book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of the internationalization of education in Japan and explores a central question: How do efforts to cultivate “global human resources” actually reshape education, labor markets, and social inequality?

Bringing together theoretical and empirical perspectives, the volume examines national policy discourse, institutional practices, international mobility, and individual life-course trajectories. Drawing on the concept of transnational human capital and a macro–micro–macro framework, the contributions show that internationalization is not simply a linear, policy-driven process. Rather, its outcomes depend strongly on institutional recognition, educational structures, and integration into the labor market.

The book highlights both the opportunities and inequalities created by internationalization and challenges approaches that equate international mobility with successful internationalization. It argues for a more inclusive and institutionally integrated approach that connects global experiences with meaningful educational, professional, and social outcomes.

By examining these dynamics in Japan, the volume also contributes to broader debates about globalization and internationalization beyond Western contexts.

The editors hope the book will be of particular interest to scholars, educators, and students working in international and comparative education, sociology of education, Japanese studies, globalization, international student mobility, and higher education policy.