President Trump’s order expelling international students from universities has sparked what some in Japan are calling the “Harvard Shock.” But how are the affected Harvard students actually feeling?

We conducted an emergency interview with Takenoshin Yaza, a Japanese student who entered Harvard University directly after graduating from a Japanese high school.

"While there's still anxiety about whether we can graduate, we're more composed than the discussions happening in Japan suggest," he reveals. We explore the truth behind this measured response.

（All interviews in this article were conducted in Japanese, and the English text is a translation. There is a possibility that the respondent's intentions may not be accurately reflected in the English.）

Expected or Shocking?

Interviewer: Let me ask directly—was this transfer order within your expectations, or was it shocking?

Yaza: It was definitely shocking. When there were threatening remarks around March, I still thought "it's probably just talk." Even in April, I believed it wouldn't actually happen because it was clearly unconstitutional.

If anything, I was more worried that Trump's unreasonable demands would force Harvard to make some kind of compromise or concession.

Interviewer: You hadn't anticipated this directive to refuse international students?

Yaza: Right. I was honestly surprised when I saw the news.

the order was blocked because it's unconstitutional, there's real anxiety about how this will unfold—we truly don't know.

Interviewer: Why did you think "it wouldn't happen"?

Yaza: Because government intervention in Harvard, a private university, exceeds governmental authority. Essentially, telling the university to expel students is beyond their jurisdictional power. As we've seen, they ultimately couldn't do it.

At the same time, I thought President Trump understood that America's development in science and technology came from having masses of excellent researchers from overseas.

If researchers stop coming to America, America's academic standing would decline too.

I thought no rational actor would take things this far, but I had underestimated the situation.

Actual Student Reactions

Interviewer: What were the reactions among your classmates?

Yaza: Before this news broke, the impression was that people weren't taking it that seriously. It exceeded presidential authority and was too massive a move—nobody thought it would actually happen.

Nobody was really taking it seriously.

"More Composed Than Expected" and Realistic Anxieties

Interviewer: So Harvard students aren't as shaken as the discussions in Japan suggest?

Yaza: That's right. I think we're more composed than people assume.

However, it would be a lie to say we're not anxious. Beyond the question of whether we can attend university, President Trump is trying to disrupt our academic environment in other ways too.

Interviewer: What specific changes are occurring?

Yaza: There have been major budget cuts. STEM researchers are really struggling. Over $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and funding has been frozen.

Harvard has very advanced research in physics and biology—many people come to America thinking "let's go where there are excellent research facilities"—but with budget cuts preventing research, it becomes difficult to want to conduct research there.

Interviewer: Are there changes in surveillance systems too?

Yaza: Yes. Apparently, Homeland Security officials are constantly monitoring the university (though this is just rumors). Even if they're not trying to intimidate students, everyone starts thinking "maybe I don't belong here."

People worked hard to get here, they should feel welcome.

In various ways, I think it's becoming a different environment than before. I expect pressure from the government to continue.

Even if Trump's current order is withdrawn, I think the Harvard I knew before my gap year will be completely different.

University Response and Student Communications

Interviewer: Has the university provided any documents or responses to international students?

Yaza: No direct emails have been sent to students. The president issued a statement on the homepage saying “we will support you so that you can continue to study here,” but there's been no direct communication to students yet.

Honestly, the fact that nothing has come is somewhat reassuring. If we were really in a position where we needed to transfer immediately, the school would communicate with us swiftly.

Since these suspicions have existed for a while, the university should be prepared.

Interviewer: What kind of response would you expect?

Yaza: If transfer were really necessary, the university probably would have presented various options yesterday. Things like "you can take a leave of absence until the president changes" or "how about transferring to these schools?" Harvard is the kind of university that provides such comprehensive support.

The absence of such communication suggests the university doesn't yet consider this the worst-case scenario. But we still don't know. Really.

Impact on Future International Study

Interviewer: Do you think this incident will reduce the number of Japanese students who choose to study at overseas universities?

Yaza: It probably will decrease. At least while President Trump is president, I think fewer people will likely choose to attend American universities.

Simply put, when something like this happens suddenly and you don't know when you might be expelled, with current anxieties, America as an option will probably disappear.

Interviewer: The risk as an educational investment also increases.

Yaza: Exactly. When I went from high school to university, I didn't think deeply about risks. While there have been several threats from President Trump's side—so it wasn't completely out of the blue—…although it wasn’t completely unexpected, it still felt abrupt when the threats were actually carried out.

So in the sense that you never know when something might happen, I think risks have increased.

Still Glad I Chose Harvard

Interviewer: Do you still think taking on the challenge of studying abroad is meaningful?

Yaza: Yes. Through this entire controversy, I've come to really love Harvard University.

Interviewer: Why is that?

Yaza: Despite receiving various demands from President Trump, they didn't easily comply and continued to fight properly. I understood that this is a university that genuinely tries to protect academic freedom.

Actually, Harvard's popularity apparently increased this year in America too. I think some other universities succumbed to pressure. In that sense, I realized once again that Harvard is a good school.

Interviewer: What do you think about the value of taking the risk of studying abroad in the future?

Yaza: All challenges come with risks. We just happened to encounter this particular risk, but as students, we'll properly do what we should do.

At least Harvard University is trying to protect our learning environment.

Current Activities and Future Prospects

Interviewer: What would happen if a real transfer order were issued?

Yaza: Transfer would be one option, or taking a leave of absence might be another. But honestly, the options remain unclear since there's been no announcement from the university yet.

Interviewer: Finally, please tell us your current state of mind.

Yaza: Honestly, I really don't know how this will unfold. It's been temporarily avoided, but anxiety remains.

However, while there's still concern about whether we can graduate, we're more composed than the discussions in Japan suggest.

Rather than anxiety, I feel that Harvard is a good school—I sense anew that protecting academic freedom is their fundamental principle.

This interview was conducted on May 24, 2025. Yaza is currently working on film projects and plans to begin shooting a feature-length film in June. He continues to actively pursue creative activities alongside his studies at Harvard University.