Japan has announced plans to use robots in classrooms as part of a multipronged approach to improve English proficiency and take advantage of an expected increase in tourism.

As many as 170,000 Japanese students study abroad annually - more than three times what official statistics indicate - according to a new survey of agencies across the country.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s landslide victory in last month’s general election confirmed that plans to internationalise the country’s higher education system will go forward. Around £284 million (￥43.2 billion) has been allocated toward initiatives to increase inbound and outbound mobility, improve universities’ ranking status and boost academic collaborations.