This is an analysis of attempts to internationalize higher education by Japanese universities as well as problem areas, mainly from the following three perspectives: 1) the internationalization crisis Japanese higher education faces according to the Times Higher Education World University Ranking, 2) the implementation emphases of the Top Global University Project, 3) the features of the University of Tokyo's internationalization initiative. Research results were obtained and recommendations have been made for reference for the Taiwan government in raising university competitiveness. Methodologically, data for case study was derived from the official statistics of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as well as the University of Tokyo. It was found that institutions of higher education in Japan are dropping steadily in the world rankings, especially due to the internationalization of staff, students, international collaboration or lack thereof: objectives for the recruitment of foreign exchange students and teaching personnel were set too high; moreover, institutions of higher education have had difficulty in implementation. In addition, the Japanese government's pruning of funding and subsidies has become a key variable militating against attempts to internationalise and thereby raise the competitiveness of higher education in Japan.