Students are the largest source of remittance from Japan: the 2022–2024 data
By Japan Ministry of Justice figures, 9,275 Bangladeshi students were admitted to Japan in three years. Even a conservative model of a student's monthly income and costs yields savings of about BDT 1.8 million a year — many times what a TITP or SSW worker sends. Yet the student pathway has no place in the government's manpower planning.
This document was presented by Nagamatsu Faruk himself, as President of BSSAJ. ‘We’ in the text is BSSAJ.
Every year 2,700 to 3,500 students come to Japan from Bangladesh. The government plans and spends on TITP and SSW, but has no plan for those who work with students — even though a planned student pathway could send more than 10,000 students a year and bring thousands of crore taka in remittance.
How many came
| Year | Applications | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,450 | 2,760 | 690 | 80% |
| 2023 | 4,210 | 3,155 | 1,055 | 75% |
| 2024 | 4,800 | 3,360 | 1,440 | 70% |
| Total | 12,460 | 9,275 | 3,185 | 74.4% |
In three years 3,185 students were refused a visa despite holding a COE — 25.6%. In neighbouring Nepal the post-COE refusal rate is about 1%. Closing that gap would let a further 25% of Bangladesh's COE-holders reach Japan.
What one student can send
A student may work 28 hours a week (about 120 a month); hourly wages in Japan run ¥1,300–2,200. The memorandum assumes 230 hours × ¥1,300 = ¥299,000 a month. Monthly costs:
| Item | ¥ per month |
|---|---|
| Tuition fee | 60,000 |
| Rent | 25,000 |
| Food | 15,000 |
| Electricity | 5,000 |
| Communication | 5,000 |
| Other | 5,000 |
| Total | 115,000 |
Net: ¥299,000 − ¥115,000 = ¥184,000 ≈ BDT 156,400 a month (at 0.85). Taking BDT 150,000 a month as savings gives BDT 1.8 million a year. On that basis the memorandum's cumulative estimate is about BDT 32.31 billion sent home by students in 2022–2024 — ten times what a work visa yields.
Why the student pathway is different
- After four years of study: jobs at major Japanese companies and a realistic path to permanent residence and citizenship.
- Most graduates in Europe, America or Canada return home for lack of work; in Japan nearly every student who stays within the law finds employment.
- The government had no estimate of what students remit; this memorandum exists to put it on the table.
Recommendations
Who does what — specific actions for governments and stakeholders, each of them checkable.
- 01Give the student pathway the same weight and budget in national manpower planning as TITP and SSW.
- 02Encourage students to remit through legal channels, and dispel the misconception that legal remittance endangers their visa.
- 03Build a direct link between students and the Embassy.
Sources
- Japan Ministry of Justice — statistics on foreign residents (students from Bangladesh), 2022–2024
- Memorandum to the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan, May 2025 (Bengali)Memorandum submitted to the Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo, May 2025. Figures are reproduced unchanged; explanations are condensed.
Cite as: Nagamatsu Faruk (2025). Students are the largest source of remittance from Japan: the 2022–2024 data. https://nagamatsufaruk.com/en/research/students-remittance-2022-2024