(Japan – March 3, 2026) Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka Prefecture terminated its cooperation with China in October 2025, closing its Confucius Institute. The university described the move as a “developmental dissolution,” noting that the “Asia Center,” established in 2023, already covers Chinese-language and other Asian-language education, leading to overlapping functions. The university said the Chinese-language faculty and the learning environment have been ensured to remain unaffected. According to a report by Asahi Shimbun, the closure reduced the number of Confucius Institutes in Japan from a peak of 15 to 10, effectively shrinking them to two-thirds of their former number.
Confucius Institutes are funded, staffed, and supplied with teaching materials by institutions affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education (now the Chinese International Education Foundation), and their course content is subject to review by the Chinese side. Over the years, this foundation has sparked controversy worldwide, with many countries viewing it not merely as a language-promotion platform but also as a potential channel for disseminating official narratives and influencing academic autonomy. In the United States, Confucius Institutes on campuses have been almost entirely closed, with only a handful remaining; Sweden and other European countries have also removed them entirely. Many democratic nations are systematically reviewing or terminating such partnerships in response to concerns about political propaganda and national security risks.
In contrast, Japan’s pace has been relatively slow. While institutions such as Kogakuin University of Technology and Engineering (2021), Hyogo Medical University (2022), Fukuyama University (2024), and Musashino University (August 2025) have successively closed their Confucius Institutes, some institutions, including Waseda University and Ritsumeikan University, continue to operate them. Most of these Confucius Institutes were established from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s and are concentrated primarily in private universities.
To date, the Japanese government has not adopted a nationwide mandatory policy. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has previously only required universities to ensure operational transparency and disclose relevant information, without taking more proactive regulatory measures. This cautious stance is partly rooted in the realities of Sino-Japanese economic and cultural exchanges, as well as an intention to avoid direct diplomatic confrontation. However, as the geopolitical environment tightens and international vigilance toward China’s soft-power tools intensifies, Japan’s academic community and policymakers are facing growing pressure over whether a more proactive response is necessary.
Kansai Gaidai University’s decision may signal a gradual acceleration of this trend in Japan, though a complete removal of Confucius Institutes remains some distance away.
Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
