Despite challenging and uncertain circumstances and the perception of being tokenized symbols in Japanese universities, the majority of international academics are more inclined to remain in their affiliations. The study intends to elucidate how international academics make sense of their decision to remain in Japanese universities. The data are from a qualitative dataset examining the integration experiences of international academics in Japan. Following the philosophical foundations of purposive sampling in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which was applied as a methodological framework, the study recruited a total of 30 participants. The study reveals varied sensemaking strategies among the interviewees, characterized as survivors, pragmatists, and ambitionists. Survivors refer to those who were compelled to remain in their current affiliations often due to constraints related to their academic roles or age restrictions. Pragmatists prioritize the practical benefits of their positions or affiliations, deriving from professional aspects, sociocultural dimensions, and personal considerations. Ambitionist academics generally view experiences in their current affiliations as a stepping stone toward future professional opportunities elsewhere. The study suggests that insufficient dedication to recruiting and retaining international academics may pose potential long-term risks for Japanese higher education institutions (HEIs) in the global academic sphere, affecting their internationally competitive standing and resilience in an evolving academic landscape. The study provides theoretical and practical implications to researchers, university administrators, and policymakers.

尽管环境充满挑战和不确定性，并且日本大学被认为是象征性的象征，但大多数国际学者更倾向于保留自己的隶属关系。该研究旨在阐明国际学者如何理解他们留在日本大学的决定。这些数据来自一个定性数据集，该数据集检查了日本国际学者的融合经验。该研究遵循解释现象学分析 (IPA) 中目的抽样的哲学基础（作为方法论框架），总共招募了 30 名参与者。该研究揭示了受访者中不同的意义建构策略，这些受访者的特征是幸存者、实用主义者和野心主义者。幸存者是指那些通常由于学术角色或年龄限制而被迫留在目前所属单位的人。实用主义者从专业方面、社会文化维度和个人考虑出发，优先考虑其职位或隶属关系的实际利益。雄心勃勃的学者通常将当前工作经历视为未来在其他地方获得职业机会的垫脚石。该研究表明，在招募和留住国际学者方面投入不足可能会给日本高等教育机构（HEIs）在全球学术领域带来潜在的长期风险，影响其国际竞争力和在不断变化的学术格局中的适应力。该研究为研究人员、大学管理人员和政策制定者提供了理论和实践意义。