NAIST and Acaric Co-Host Roundtable Discussion with 14 Companies on Recruitment Strategies for International Technical Students

Nara Institute of Science and Technology (Location: Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, President: Kazuhiro Shiozaki, hereinafter "NAIST") and Acaric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Ryo Yamada), which supports the careers of graduate students and researchers, co-hosted a roundtable discussion on international student recruitment titled "Recruitment Strategy Roundtable to Identify the 'Potential' of International Technical Students" on March 2, 2026.

The roundtable was attended by 18 HR and recruitment managers from 14 major and mid-sized Japanese companies, primarily in the manufacturing sector, who engaged in lively discussions on the challenges of recruiting international science and engineering students and initiatives for global talent to thrive.

Background of the Event | Changes in the Environment Surrounding International Student Recruitment

While the importance of global talent is increasing in Japanese companies, many challenges still exist in recruiting and retaining international science and engineering students. Barriers for both companies and international students include Japanese language proficiency requirements, delays in adapting to early recruitment, and insufficient development of acceptance systems.

As a national university consisting solely of graduate schools, NAIST has many international students enrolled and is committed to supporting the careers of international science and engineering students with advanced research capabilities. NAIST and Acaric opened the community space "Acaric Lounge" in a facility adjacent to NAIST in October 2023, which has been used by over 6,000 students to date. Furthermore, in July 2024, they concluded a cooperation agreement on employment support and career development, and under this agreement, they have been developing industry-academia collaboration for employment support. This roundtable was planned and held as part of this collaboration, providing a venue for direct dialogue between company recruitment managers and the university regarding international student recruitment.

Event Overview

Item

Content

Name

Recruitment Strategy Roundtable to Identify the "Potential" of International Technical Students

Date & Time

March 2, 2026 (Monday) 14:00〜18:00

Venue

AP Osaka Umeda Higashi (Nihon Seimei Umeda Bldg. 5F, 3-3 Doyama-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka)

Organizers

Nara Institute of Science and Technology / Acaric Co., Ltd.

Participating Companies

14 companies (in alphabetical order) Aisin Corporation, Osaka Fuji Kogyo Co., Ltd., Kyocera Corporation, Komeri Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation, Dydo Group Holdings, Inc., Panasonic Operational Excellence Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Rohm Co., Ltd., Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and others

Attendees

NAIST Attendees: Naoya Taniguchi, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Career Support Division, Education Promotion Organization Toshihide Yamashita, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Career Support Division, Education Promotion Organization

Acaric Attendees: Ryo Yamada, Representative Director Mamoru Okubo, General Manager, Human Capital Business Division

Main Discussion Themes | Current Status and Challenges of International Student Recruitment

On the day of the event, recruitment managers from each company and NAIST faculty members exchanged frank opinions on the following themes regarding the recruitment and retention of international students.

(1) Japanese Language Proficiency and Recruitment Requirements

A discussion was held on the relationship between international students' Japanese language levels and their employment success rates. NAIST shared the reality that international students with N1/N2 levels have no trouble finding employment, while those with N5 or lower have an employment success rate of only about 10%. Several companies stated that their internal acceptance systems, which are premised on Japanese language proficiency, are a hurdle to recruitment. On the other hand, there were reports that environments where work can be performed solely in English are becoming more widespread in the IT sector.

(2) Early Recruitment and International Students

Several companies pointed out the challenge that international students are unable to keep up with the early recruitment schedule for new graduates in Japan (selection starting from summer internships). While the necessity of establishing a separate recruitment scheme for international students was discussed, some voices indicated that it is difficult to implement due to a lack of HR department resources.

(3) Retention and Onboarding

The high turnover rate of international students was raised as a challenge by several companies. While international students tend to stay longer in environments where there are English-speaking employees, it was shared that isolation often leads to attrition. The existence of a vicious cycle where "negative experiences accumulate, and the workplace begins to shy away from hiring international students" was also pointed out.

(4) Gap between Management and the Front Lines

A common challenge among several companies was the perception gap between management, which promotes the recruitment of global talent, and the front lines, which are anxious about the acceptance system. The importance of HR's role in bridging this gap was confirmed, and the insight that visualizing the success of senior international students contributes to both the recruitment and retention of their successors was shared.

(5) Reasons Why International Students Choose Japanese Companies

NAIST presented an analysis that recent international students choose Japan due to a renewed sense of stability in life after the COVID-19 pandemic and a strong interest in Japanese culture (games, anime, etc.). It was introduced that many international students ultimately aim to return to their home countries but first wish to accumulate skills in Japan for about 10 years.

Participant Feedback

The following feedback was received from participating companies in a survey.

I was reminded that we should reconsider the meaning of hiring foreign nationals, and that recruitment activities should not become an end in themselves. I also found the exchange with other companies to be very meaningful.

The idea that accepting international students leads to improved English proficiency among colleagues and the receiving side was a new perspective.

The idea of promoting DE&I and business innovation by working with excellent international technical students, beyond the barrier of Japanese language proficiency, and connecting it to the growth of existing employees was fresh.

Future Outlook

Through this roundtable, the challenges and expectations of both companies and universities in recruiting international technical students were once again clarified. There is a structural mismatch between international students with potential and Japanese companies seeking them, due to Japanese language proficiency barriers and recruitment scheme limitations. NAIST and Acaric will continue to deepen their collaboration and pursue industry-academia initiatives to resolve these mismatches. They aim to create new recruitment and development models that leverage the expertise and diverse perspectives of international students in Japanese industry, and to foster connections between universities and companies.

About Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)

Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) is a national university corporation established in 1991, consisting solely of graduate schools. It conducts cutting-edge research and education primarily in the three fields of information science, bioscience, and materials science. It is characterized by small-group education with a low student-to-faculty ratio, and many students from Japan and abroad are enrolled. In international student career support, NAIST advocates for "producing R&D talent for domestic companies" as part of its university-wide strategy, and in April 2026, it will launch the industry-academia-government collaboration platform "Salon for Recruitment and Development of Foreign Doctoral Talent" to create a forum for dialogue with universities and companies nationwide on promoting the success of international students.

Location: 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture President: Kazuhiro Shiozaki URL: https://www.naist.jp/

About Acaric Co., Ltd.

Company Name: Acaric Co., Ltd. (https://acaric.co.jp/) Founded: November 2006 Representative Director: Ryo Yamada Location: Aoyama Daiichi Tanaka Bldg. 2F, 2-1-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Business Activities:

・ Operation of "Acaric," a job information site for graduate students (Master's and Doctoral programs)

・ Planning and hosting of "Acaric Events" by research field, industry, and job type

・ Operation of "Acaric Job Agent" and "Acaric Career" for new graduate students, young researchers, and graduate-educated individuals

・ Conducting career seminars at universities, etc.

・ Operation of the online LaTeX editor "Cloud LaTeX" and more

Case Studies:

・ Representative Director Yamada participated as a committee member in the "Study Group for Promoting the Success of Doctoral Talent in Private Companies (METI/MEXT)"

・ Collaborations with Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Hiroshima University, Nara Women's University, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Shibaura Institute of Technology, <a targe