Japanese and English are the only languages for the exams. Unless the curriculum has changed radically I would not recommend doing a MSc without already being

Japanese and English are the only languages for the exams. Unless the curriculum has changed radically I would not recommend doing a MSc without already being proficient in Japanese. It would be far better to enter as an undergraduate on the MEXT fellowship that includes a year of full-time studies learning Japanese before you proceed to enter a university. Only a handful out of hundreds of classes are held in English at a graduate level and I suspect that the situation is even worse as an undergraduate. PhD studies should be fine, most schools have Japanese classes and as long as your supervisor is fluent you will most likely have a good time. But hey, I am looking for a tenure track position at a decent university back in Japan over the next few years. There is a will to become more international and hopefully I can find a way to contribute towards that goal. Still, we should not fool ourselves and say that things are fine as they currently are -- know what you are getting yourself into.