When Masumi Iwai arrived in Hawaii from Tokyo to study tourism, she dreamed of staying after graduation to work in Hawaii’s visitor industry where she could inspire more Japanese tourists to visit the islands — a place long considered Japan’s top vacation destination.

Iwai, now in her second year as a travel industry management, or TIM, student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, increasingly worries that rising living costs and visa barriers might prevent her from making that dream a reality.

Japanese students remain the University of Hawaii’s largest international student group, with around 500 enrolled post-pandemic down from over 600 before COVID- 19. Many, like Iwai, are pursuing degrees in tourism and hospitality, hoping to revitalize Hawaii’s tourism industry. However, they face significant hurdles, including escalating living costs, limited job opportunities, and uncertainty surrounding U.S. immigration policies. The potential for stricter visa regulations, particularly under the Trump administration, only heightens their concerns.

“I would love to stay here, but there’s a big barrier of the visa, so I have no choice but to also look into opportunities in Japan just in case,” Iwai said.

She is pursuing a career in destination management, hoping to strengthen ties with Japan, one of Hawaii’s largest tourism markets, which has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019, Japanese arrivals to Hawaii peaked at nearly 1.6 million visitors, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. In 2024, 720,488 visitors came to Hawaii from Japan, representing only a 45.7% recovery rate from 2019.

Students like Iwai are eager to help recover more visitors from Japan, but immigration and work restrictions stand in their way.

Iwai, set to graduate in 2027, explained that Hawaiian culture is as prominent in Japan as Japanese culture is in Hawaii.

“I’ve been dancing hula in Tokyo since I was 5, and I’m also minoring in Hawaiian studies and learning the language,” she said. “I want to contribute (to) bringing Japanese tourists to Hawaii without taking away the authenticity of Hawaiian culture.”

But despite her cultural connection and aspirations, Iwai’s future in Hawaii is uncertain. Through the Optional Practical Training program, international students can work in the U.S. for one year in their field of study. After that they must secure an H-1B work visa, which requires employer sponsorship — a rare offering in Hawaii’s tourism and hospitality industries.

“It’s so hard,” Iwai said. “You have to find a company that can sponsor you. All of the local hotels that I’ve talked to told me they don’t sponsor working visas.”

Changing policies

International students are the second-largest group of U.S. visa recipients, but students like Iwai and Okinawa native Nanami Higa — a TIM student hoping to get hired as a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines — are concerned that President Donald Trump might impose stricter regulations on international students and immigration policies.

In a Fox News interview Thursday, Vice President JD Vance said American citizens have different rights from people who have green cards or student visas. He said if Trump and the secretary of state decide a person should not be in America and they have no legal right to be here, there will be consequences.

“I think we’ll certainly see some people who get deported on student visas if we determine that it’s not in the best interest of the United States to have them in our country,” Vance said. “I don’t know how high that number is going to be, but you’re going to see more people.”

His comments follow the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil — a Columbia University graduate and a lead figure in the school’s protests against Israel — by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Vance added during the Fox News interview that the issue is no longer fundamentally about free speech.

Dan Spencer, director of the TIM school, expressed uncertainty about future enrollment due to shifting federal policies.

“It’s really hard to say, because we’ve never really been in a situation like this before,” Spencer said. “We know it’s not going to help, and so that’s all we can say. Definitively, it might hurt us, but it remains to be seen.”

Hawaii’s international college students also worry about potential measures like a travel ban or restrictions on working in the U.S., even under the OPT program, recalling the challenges faced during Trump’s first administration.

The weakened yen and increasing inflation also have raised the cost of living, leaving Higa uncertain about her future in Hawaii and prompting her to consider applying to companies in Japan.

“I know that many Japanese students are struggling in Hawaii,” Higa said.

Higa manages some costs through merit-based scholarships from UH and from the TIM school but fears that the Trump administration’s cuts to federal education funding could strain financial aid and force students to leave the islands. Living off-campus with roommates in McCully, she emphasized that without scholarships it would be difficult to afford life on Oahu.

Similarly, Iwai lives in the UH dorms and works as a resident assistant to hold her own against Oahu’s high cost of living.

Recovering visitors

Spencer emphasized the important role Japanese nationals play in Hawaii’s tourism sector, particularly through their bilingualism and cultural similarities. Their contributions help maintain Hawaii’s status as a “truly international destination,” which is essential for the state’s resilience against economic shocks. During the Great Recession, for example, Oahu fared better than the neighbor islands, which were more reliant on American and Canadian tourists.

Spencer also said Japanese workers can enhance the tourism economy by relating to visitors through shared cultural understandings, ensuring high customer satisfaction.

“I’ve always greatly enjoyed having (Japanese students) in class,” Spencer said. “I would just encourage all potential employers to give very serious consideration to hiring our Japanese graduates because (from what) I’ve observed in class, (they have) qualities that every employer greatly values.”

Brent Fujinaka, TIM’s assistant director of internships and career development, noted that many Japanese students graduating from the TIM program seek positions in Hawaii’s tourism and hospitality sector, with companies like Japan Airlines, JTB and the Kahala Hotel. He acknowledged, however, that despite strong partnerships with industry players, the work authorization process remains a significant hurdle, even with TIM school support.

Tetsuji Yamazaki, general manager at Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, said transitioning into Hawaii’s workforce in 1996 was easy for him. However, he acknowledged that in today’s climate the process is likely much more challenging for students.

Tomoko Yagi, a 2003 TIM graduate who oversees three Aman Resort properties, highlighted the challenge of navigating the visa process to remain in Hawaii, saying it remains a significant issue for Japanese students hoping to stay and contribute to the local tourism industry.

“I would be happy to start a summer internship or graduate program — management trainees — which will help the students and alumni from UH bring back international business acumen skills that can help the Hawaii tourism bottom line upon completion,” Yagi said.

Iwai interned at Hawaii Tourism Japan for five months, where she helped organize media tours to promote Hawaii as a travel destination. The experience gave her a new perspective on the industry.

“It’s all about prioritizing what the Japanese audience wants,” she said, noting that Japanese nationals understand what appeals to the Japan market and how to draw more Japanese visitors to Hawaii.

Eric Takahata, HTJ managing director, believes that increasing UH’s TIM Japanese enrollment would benefit the industry. He said Hawaii should adopt a system similar to Australia’s temporary graduate visa, which allows international students to stay and work after graduation, gaining valuable work experience and easing their transition into the workforce.

“They understand a lot of things that don’t have to be explained culturally within the nuances of Japanese tourism,” Takahata said. “From a very selfish perspective, we would love more and more Japanese international students coming through the TIM school and enter the industry. It would be very helpful and very beneficial because you have another layer of understanding with welcoming Japanese visitors.”