Japan may be the next stop for medical aspirants Here’s why
22 lakh students write NEET every year but less than 4% get a seat and Japan might just be the escape route for Indian medical aspirants.
Because while India debates quotas and cutoffs, Japan is building for clarity.
In the last decade alone, Indian student enrollment in Japan grew 131.8%.
Japan, long admired for its precision, healthcare outcomes, and ageing-friendly policy, is becoming a serious option for Indian medical aspirants.
Here’s why:
→ Affordable MBBS programs (~₹5L/year)
→ National insurance that covers nearly 70% of healthcare costs
→ English-medium tracks in global health, bioinformatics, and public systems
→ Long-term visa pathways tied to geriatrics, digital health, and medical research
→ And most importantly, a system that prioritises process, not paperwork
Even the Japanese Ambassador to India, Hiroshi Suzuki, made headlines for inviting Indian talent to consider Japan as a serious career destination.
Japan may not be loud about it. But it’s building an ecosystem that recognises Indian talent and is designing for it.
And for students looking beyond the seat-count anxiety, this might just be the clearest path forward.