Academic mobility under geopolitical uncertainty: Chinese graduate students in Japanese research universities

This exploratory qualitative study examines how Chinese graduate students in Japanese research universities perceive and navigate geopolitical uncertainty, focusing on international student mobility and research collaboration as related but analytically distinct dimensions of academic life. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten master’s and doctoral students across three anonymised research universities, it explores how geopolitical tensions and research-security concerns enter students’ academic experiences, institutional encounters, and future mobility and career planning. The findings suggest that geopolitical effects are generally perceived as indirect rather than as direct restrictions. Participants reported few explicit constraints on everyday research, but some described heightened awareness of security-related procedures and uncertainty, especially in technologically sensitive areas. Given the STEM-heavy sample and the absence of independent analysis of university policies, claims about disciplinary and institutional variation are treated as participants’ perceptions rather than systematic differences. Geopolitical considerations also shaped future-oriented decision-making, although academic and professional factors remained primary. The analysis distinguishes participants’ own experiences from observations about peers, used only as contextual evidence. The study offers preliminary micro-level evidence from Japan and argues that student mobility and research collaboration should be analysed separately but relationally within security-conscious academic environments.