The CARES Consortium is a consortium that seeks not only to increase the number of international students in Osaka, but also to help them find employment in Japan after graduation, and support the development of the “Osaka = Home Away from Home” project, which promotes the communal life of international students and Osaka local residents. The consortium is made up of organizations from the industrial sector, the government, academia, the financial sector, and the local community. Kansai University and other three local universities （Osaka University, Osaka Prefecture University, and Osaka City University） will take charge of the planning, with their pre-existing systems of collaboration through conventional academic exchange agreements and international students exchange centers development project,established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology（implemented in FY. 2012-2014）. Each of the organizations in the consortium will utilize their specific strengths and cover for each other’s weaknesses, and work to strengthen job-hunting and residential support systems for international students. The plan of the consortium is to（1）admit highly-skilled international students（regular admission）,then（2） turn them into highly-skilled global personnel that will be of great use to Japanese companies inside and outside of Japan, and also（3）provide long-term, comprehensive support（care） for these international students so that they are able to integrate into the community and become Osaka residents to live a communal life. Osaka City University and Osaka Prefecture University joined the consortium in 2016. As of now, in December 2017, the consortium is made up of 4 universities and 30 organizations.
MEXT will implement the Project for Supporting International students’ Living Environment and Job Hunting for the purpose of enhancing the attractiveness of studying in japan and promoting an increase in the number of talented international students studying in Japan toward the achievement of a plan for 300,000 exchange students.This project will support excellent efforts toward environmental development for acceptance of international students.These efforts include assistance to international students in improving their living environment and for ease of job searching in Japan while providing opportunities to interact with Japanese students in dormitories and other exchange spaces.The project expects that such efforts will be made under the cooperation of stakeholders,including universities and other higher education institutions where they study,local public bodies,regional economic organizations,NPOs,regional economic organizations,and support groups for international students.
Excerpted and translated from MEXT’s website
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/1360191.htm