Tohoku University in Sendai has decided to raise international student tuition from 2027 to 900,000 yen per year, about 1.7 times the amount charged to Japanese students. The plan marks the first time a national university has publicly announced a foreign student fee increase, with Hiroshima University and several others also weighing similar changes as the system shifts away from a universal tuition policy. National universities' standard tuition is 535,800 yen with a 1.2x ceiling, but in 2024 the ministry removed that ceiling for international students, enabling higher charges. While higher tuition aims to attract top international scholars and support their services, it raises costs for English-taught programs, Japanese language education, and student support. Tohoku University intends to raise tuition for both undergraduate and master's programs from 2027, and will create scholarships for high-achieving international students, with targets to raise the proportion of international students to about 20% of undergraduates (from 2%) and 40% of master's students (from 17%).