Research Security and International Students: The Impact of Japan's National Security Policies on Chinese Graduate Students’ Research Activities

Growing geopolitical tensions have prompted governments to strengthen research-security policies, reshaping the internationalization of higher education. While existing studies have focused primarily on national policies and institutional responses, less attention has been paid to how research security affects international students’ research experiences. This study examines how Chinese graduate students at Japanese national universities experience and respond to research-security governance. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 18 Chinese graduate students across three research-intensive universities, the study employs a thematic analysis informed by neo-institutionalism and student agency. The findings show that research security has become embedded in university governance, influencing admission, research participation, collaboration, and post-graduation planning. Its implementation varies across disciplines, with students in science- and technology-related fields experiencing greater scrutiny and administrative oversight. Rather than acting as passive recipients of institutional regulation, students exercise agency through strategic adaptation, negotiation, and reflective decision-making. The study argues that research security should be understood as an increasingly constitutive dimension of internationalization rather than an external constraint. By foregrounding international students’ lived experiences, it contributes to emerging debates on how universities balance academic openness with national security in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.