🇰🇷 K-pop playlists, Korean drama marathons, K-beauty routines — Korean culture has become a way of life for Japan's younger generation. Now, that cultural wave is reshaping higher education. Mejiro University in Tokyo is planning to launch Japan's first and only dedicated Korean Studies department in April 2027. Here's what this groundbreaking move tells us about Japan, Korea, and the future of cross-cultural education.
What Is Mejiro University Planning?
Mejiro University, located in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, is preparing to establish a "Department of Korean Studies" (tentative name) in April 2027. According to Japan's Ministry of Education data as of November 2025, no Japanese university currently has a standalone faculty dedicated exclusively to Korean studies. If approved, Mejiro would be the first.
This isn't a sudden pivot. Mejiro University has been teaching Korean for two decades. It established a Korean language major within its Faculty of Foreign Studies in 2005 and upgraded it to a full Korean Language Department in 2008. Graduates have gone on to work at airlines, entertainment companies, banks, and as interpreters and translators. The new department represents the natural evolution of this track record.
The planned enrollment is 80 students per year. The campus is in Shinjuku — just an 8-minute walk from Nakai Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line and the Toei Oedo Line — putting students right in the heart of Tokyo.
The Curriculum: Language, Culture, and Immersion Combined
The program is designed around three pillars: intensive Korean language training, deep academic study of Korean society and culture, and mandatory immersive experience in Korea itself.
Year 1: Building a Solid Foundation
First-year students take four core Korean language courses (conversation, grammar, listening comprehension, and writing) across seven 90-minute sessions per week. Native Korean-speaking instructors divide students into four proficiency-based small groups. The goal is ambitious: passing Level 3 or higher on the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) by the end of the first year.
Beyond pure language study, students also learn the cultural context behind what's known as "K-content" — K-pop, Korean dramas and films, K-beauty, and more. The idea is to use students' existing passions as a gateway to rigorous academic understanding.
A tutor system pairs Japanese students with Korean exchange students at Mejiro for daily language practice and cultural exchange outside the classroom.
Year 2: Everyone Goes to Korea
The standout feature is the "All Students Study Abroad" system. In their second year, every student who wishes to participate can spend one year at a partner university in Korea through an exchange program — or opt for a two-year "Dual Degree" track that earns them degrees from both Mejiro and the Korean institution.
For exchange students, tuition at the Korean host university is waived (though Mejiro tuition continues). Credits transfer, making it possible to graduate in four years. Partner universities include prestigious Korean institutions like Yonsei University, Korea University, Kyung Hee University, and Pusan National University.
Years 3 & 4: Specialization
After returning from Korea, students choose from seminars covering Korean studies, comparative culture, Korean-Japanese translation, Korean language pedagogy, contrastive linguistics, and TOPIK preparation research. They complete either a graduation thesis or a creative project such as a full-length translation.
Tuition and Financial Aid
First-year costs total ¥1,418,160 (approximately $9,500), which includes the enrollment fee of ¥250,000 ($1,670), spring semester fees of ¥731,160, and fall semester fees of ¥437,000. By Japanese private university standards, this is relatively affordable.
Mejiro also offers a merit scholarship that covers half of tuition for up to four years, available to up to 100 students across all departments. For recipients, this translates to savings of several thousand dollars annually.
Why Now? The Numbers Behind Korea's Language Boom in Japan
The timing of this announcement is no coincidence. Korean language learning in Japan has exploded.
According to a 2023 survey by language learning app Duolingo, 25% of Japanese people voluntarily studying a foreign language are studying Korean — double the rate for Chinese (12.5%). Among teenagers, the figure jumps to 37%. Among those in their twenties, it's 26%.
The TOPIK exam saw a record 40,957 applicants in Japan in 2021, surpassing Chinese language proficiency test (HSK) applicants (39,219) for the first time. That's a doubling in just five years.
What's driving this? Not career advancement — the top motivator for English learners. For Korean learners, 57.6% said their primary motivation was "wanting to understand the language spoken by their favorite artists and celebrities." This is the power of "oshi-katsu" — a Japanese concept meaning the passionate support and following of a favorite idol or celebrity. In Japan, fandom has become one of the most powerful engines of language education.
Japan-Korea Relations: A New Chapter
The year 2025 marked the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea. In 2024, the total number of travelers between the two countries exceeded 12 million — a record high. People-to-people exchange has never been stronger.
The relationship hasn't always been smooth. Historical grievances, particularly related to Japan's colonial era, have periodically strained ties. But among younger generations, a cultural closeness has developed that operates independently of political tensions. In Seoul's trendy Hongdae district, shops selling Japanese anime merchandise have proliferated to the point that the area has earned the nickname "Hong-kihabara" — a play on Tokyo's famous otaku neighborhood, Akihabara.
This two-way cultural flow means that learning each other's language is no longer just a skill — it's a bridge to genuine understanding. Mejiro's Korean Studies department captures this moment perfectly.
A New Model for University Education
Traditionally, studying Korean at a Japanese university meant enrolling in a Korean language course within a foreign language department or an international studies program. Elevating Korean studies to the level of an independent department carries real significance.
As a standalone faculty, the program can integrate language training with political science, economics, history, cultural studies, and social analysis — offering a holistic understanding of Korea as a society. Just as some universities have dedicated Chinese studies or American studies departments, the emergence of a Korean studies department signals that Korea has reached a new level of academic importance in Japan.
For Japanese universities facing enrollment challenges due to the country's declining birthrate, creating specialized departments targeting clear and growing demand represents a smart survival strategy.
The Bigger Picture
Mejiro University's plan is more than a new department — it's an attempt to transform cultural enthusiasm into academic expertise. With 20 years of Korean language teaching experience, a mandatory study-abroad program, and dual-degree options, the university is offering a compelling path for young people who want to turn their love of Korean culture into professional competence.
Sixty years after Japan and South Korea normalized relations, the ties between these two nations are evolving beyond politics into something deeper — driven by culture, education, and the daily choices of millions of young people. Does your country have university programs dedicated to understanding a neighboring nation's language and culture? We'd love to hear about your experience.
References
Reactions in Japan
Mejiro's Korean Studies department is exactly the option I wished existed when I was in high school. I passed TOPIK Level 4 on my own, but I would have loved a place where I could systematically study Korean society and history for a deeper understanding.
Interesting initiative, but I'm curious about career paths after graduation. Just knowing Korean isn't enough in today's job market. Without combining it with business, IT, or trade skills, I wonder if students will get a return on their four-year investment.
Being able to study the cultural background behind K-beauty is absolutely amazing. Korean cosmetics aren't popular just because they're cheap — there's a unique philosophy toward beauty. I'm so jealous you can study that academically.
Can they break even with just 80 students? With universities struggling from declining birth rates, an overly niche department seems destined for restructuring within a few years. What happens when the K-culture boom cools down?
As a career guidance teacher, I've noticed more and more students wanting to seriously study Korean, but there were too few university options. Having it as an independent department rather than just one course within a foreign language faculty is huge. As someone recommending programs, I'm grateful.
I started learning Korean because I wanted to understand my bias's Vlive without subtitles, but I didn't know there was a university this serious about it. The fact that everyone studies abroad in their second year is fire. Gotta tell my friends!
This deserves attention as a university survival strategy. With the 18-year-old population plummeting, establishing departments in areas with clear demand is rational. The challenge will be ensuring academic depth that doesn't rely on a passing trend.
Learning a neighbor's language and culture deeply is wonderful in itself, but Japan-Korea relations can change abruptly with political shifts. There are limits to what a university alone can do to maintain a stable four-year learning environment.
I work as a Korean-Japanese translator, and while more people can speak Korean now, there's still a serious shortage of professional-level translators. A department that cultivates people with both language skills and specialized knowledge is great news for this industry.
It's actually surprising there wasn't a Korean Studies department when Chinese studies departments already exist at several universities. Economic scale is different, but in terms of cultural influence, Korea is far more familiar to Japanese youth than China. This feels like the right call for the times.
Stabilizing Japan-Korea relations requires not just politicians, but a broader base of citizens who deeply understand Korea. More people studying Korea at an academic level is a positive from a security perspective as well.
I went to Korea for a regular language study program, but being able to get a dual degree through a university program is on another level. Having a degree from a Korean university should be a major advantage in job hunting too.
Honestly jealous. I study some Korean affairs in my international relations program, but it inevitably ends up broad and shallow. If you could dedicate an entire department to Korea, the level of expertise at graduation would be completely different.
If you're studying Korean, you can't avoid issues of historical perception. If this is to be proper university education, I hope they establish a framework for teaching the historical issues between both countries objectively and fairly.
From a hiring perspective, people with Korean language skills plus business acumen are genuinely rare. With growing transactions with Korean companies, someone who can discuss Korean business customs and etiquette in an interview would be an immediate asset.
A Korean Studies department is fine, but I'm conflicted because it might further diminish Chinese language programs' presence. It's true they've been overtaken in learner numbers, and Chinese studies departments need to step up their appeal too.
As a Korean, I'm genuinely moved that a Japanese university is recognizing Korean studies as a standalone department. Many students at Yonsei study Japanese too, and I believe this kind of two-way academic exchange forms the real foundation of Japan-Korea relations.
In the UK, SOAS University of London has a Korean studies program, but it's not a dedicated department. It's intriguing that Japan is taking this step. Perhaps we'll see more specialized Asian studies programs in Europe too.
Korean language learners are surging in Vietnam too, mainly for business reasons since Samsung and LG have many factories here. Creating a department driven by cultural motivation, as Japan is doing, represents an ideal form of education in my view.
Taiwanese universities have Korean language departments, but I've never heard of a standalone Korean studies faculty. The mandatory study abroad system is enviable. Many Taiwanese students give up on studying abroad due to cost.
As a Korean American, I have mixed feelings. While Japan is elevating Korean culture to academic status, Asian studies programs in the US are being cut due to budget reductions. There's something for American universities to learn from this move.
In Germany, several universities have dedicated departments for French language and culture — our neighbor. Building academic infrastructure for understanding neighboring countries contributes to diplomatic stability. Japan is making the right call.
Russian universities have Korean studies programs too, but student motivation is mostly career and business oriented. The phenomenon of K-pop and drama passion transforming university education seems uniquely Japanese and fascinating.
Korean dramas are surging in popularity in Mexico too, but having it reflected in university education is uniquely Japanese. Latin American universities have virtually zero Korean studies options. I'm truly envious.
Singapore is multilingual, so new language departments aren't unusual here. But Japan's approach of 'elevating cultural enthusiasm into academics' is refreshing. We shouldn't underestimate the power of pop culture.
France's INALCO has a Korean studies track, but enrollment is small each year. If K-pop's influence drives enrollment in Japan, it could become a model case. However, sustainability after the boom fades is the key question.
There are many K-pop fans in Nigeria too, but almost nowhere to study Korean. We have just one King Sejong Institute. Japan benefits from being a neighbor, but I wish departments like this existed in Africa too.
I'm from the Korean community in New Zealand, and while I'm happy to see a Japanese university take Korean studies this seriously, given the historical complexities, I want to keep an eye on how the curriculum addresses sensitive topics.
Asian studies is still a niche field at Italian universities. But thanks to Netflix, interest in Korean culture is definitely growing. I wish European universities had the flexibility to respond to demand as quickly as Japan does.
In Malaysia, many people learn Korean to work for Korean companies. I envy Japan's system where everyone can study abroad. I think Southeast Asian universities should establish more exchange agreements with Korean universities too.
I teach Japanese studies at an Australian university, and this is fascinating from the reverse perspective. If Japan is elevating Korea as an academic subject, shouldn't Korea also enrich its Japanese studies programs? It should be bidirectional.