Attend US or Japanese university?

My daughter, who is academically more fluent in English than Japanese, is thinking about college application. She wants to study engineering or a field in science. There is a program at University of Tokyo called PEAK, which is an undergraduate program in Environmental Science. My daughter is Japanese. She wants to have a good background in college, which leads to a research position in the US. At first, we thought US top tier colleges are the ones to apply, but the universities are super expensive for foreigners. Is it obvious that she will get a better background education and enjoy college life in the US than at University of Tokyo, or is this a good option? She will be taking IB HL in math and sciences. If she remains in Japan, will her job in the US perspective be slim?

Where does she live now? Please note that Univ. of Tokyo is one of the very best in Japan, meaning difficult to get into, though (probably) less expensive because it is one of the national universities.

She lives in Japan. Several of her Japanese 'sempai's' have attended Keio, Waseda, U of Osaka and U of Tokyo. All of them went through the returnee program (kikokushijo). The ones attending Keio, Waseda and Osaka are the ones who were not accepted to second tier schools in the US, so they had to settle for these universities. The ones who went to Tokyo were accepted to near top tier schools (not accepted to Ivy Leagues), and were having a difficult time deciding whether to attend one of these near top tier schools or to go to UT. After entering UT, we haven't heard from them, which gives me the suspicion that they regretted their choice. That's what worries me. I guess my big questions is, should a fluent academic English speaking Japanese attend a top tier American university or remain in Japan and attend the best Japanese school?

I hope someone with experience can answer this question, but if not, I think universities also give out information on career opportunities based on past graduates. If she's in Japan, she might want to try asking the universities directly. Another option is to ask organizations she wishes to work at in the future, or of course her high school.

the answer is simple. if she want to live in Japan in future, universities in Japan are better. Kikokushijo examination is a special offer for students who lost opportunities to get regular educations, since they were out of Japan. the examination is much easier to pass.

I wished everything was simple, as you say. She wants to go to a school where she can study hard. She aims to continue to graduate school in the US. Her long term goal is to live in the States, but going there from undergraduate is really expensive. Can she easily get a job in the States, graduating from a top university in Japan and continuing her graduate work? Is the quality of education 'international' and 'high' enough in Japan to compete with top universities in the US?

University of Tokyo is no joke. i drop by their to ask some question. i was a 3.2gpa at my college and when their requirment to get in. like the GPA i was shock. 4.0 ha ha ha. no way. plus anyhow University of Tokyo don't have a Marketing Major sadly.

Oh yeah. i have the english requirment book from university of tokyo. i wish i can copy and plast every page on here for you to see. i took the last english copy when i was there. ha ha ha.

If her plan is to continue on to graduate school, I don't think she'd have any problem going to a top-tier grad school in the US coming from the University of Tokyo (assuming she did well during her undergrad career and can get a good GRE, etc. score). I certainly don't see how it would be a disadvantage to an otherwise qualified candidate.

Keep in mind that spending four years in school in Tokyo will certainly expose her to different experiences than if she spent those years in the States. I mean, her long-term plans will likely change in different ways depending on where she is.

I was a college student in Japan and got BS in USA. Just note the the University of Tokyo is the best rated in Japan but trails several notches down in the world ranking.
Also, Japanese university education is weak in critical thinking/application. I know how much they studied to get in to U of T but I am not impressed after graduation(working w/ some of them).
In top US schools, it will be harder but much more fulfilling(IMHO). A half of my class mates dropped out.
Senpai/Kohai networking would be much stronger in Japan but mostly the men still control the working environment.
I am sure your daughter's case may be different but there are many metrics to consider. However, she will have a much better chance of working in US or in Japan or assigned to either country, if she graduates in US.