Taking as a starting point the present ubiquity of international student mobility, contrasting paradigms of international study are offered through a critical examination of two nations. The UK is presented as a leading host nation and provider of international higher education, significant revenue from which is central to the prosperity of the country's universities. Japan is viewed as historically a major consumer of international education abroad and importer of foreign educational goods and services. The article concludes with some thoughts on a re-positioning of Japan as provider of international education for South-East Asia. (Contains 5 tables.)