Japanese university operator looks to Philippine campus for growth

TOKYO -- An educational company that runs a private Japanese university and owns a stake in a small college in the Philippines is recruiting more students from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to study English in the Southeast Asian country as a cheaper alternative to the U.S. and Europe.

Takeda Gakuen, which operates Hiroshima Bunkyo University in western Japan, launched Lapulapu-Cebu International College (LCIC) in the central Philippine city of Cebu. The school, which opened in 2021, plans to offer more places to foreign students as Takeda Gakuen seeks revenue stability in the face of declining student numbers in Japan due to a weakening demographic outlook.