For the 2006/7 academic year, Oradea University received several students from Japan, who are the first students of Japanese nationality to enter the medical faculty.

Medical Education for Japanese students has changed considerably since the 1990s. The National Model Curriculum has been introduced. This includes more than 1200 objectives, including knowledge base, basic clinical skills, and communication skills. A more robust system has been set up with regards to the requirements of the clinical clerkships.

Hirotaka Onishi, vice chairman of the international relations committee, Japan Society for Medical Education, explains, "Currently the Japanese media cover many negative aspects of medical practice, such as a number of malpractice cases and inappropriate patient-doctor communication cases. Physicians used to be called sensei [teacher or mentor] but such respect has been lost since the 1980s. Quality of care and medical education have become critical issues since the rapid growth of the economy. The CAT will make a strong impact on the preclinical curriculum.? "

Romania looks forward to more students from Japan selecting Romania as their destination for higher medical education.