Transferring to University

Would it be possible to transfer from an American community college after 2 years to a Japanese university? This was my original plan, though I'm not sure if this is even possible.

You mean to enter an Japanese one for the rest of 2 two years to get a BA degree? What about your Japanese level?

Yes, exactly I'd want to finish at a Japanese university for my BA. As for my Japanese level, I can understand words here and there but I'm not conversational. Though I do plan on learning more.

Given most Japanese universities teach and assess students in Japanese, understanding a few words will not help much. Also, any decent university will have entry exams (in Japanese) that you need to meet the criteria.
Why don't you identify a prospective university and ask them (in Japanese)? They will be able to more directly let you know if you are a potential candidate for transfer or not.

Will do, thank you!

With your Japanese ability, you can survive in Japan as a tourist. I give you some key words for your dream.

- JLPT
- Juken
- Official language of Japan

「transfer from an American community college after 2 years to a Japanese university... I'd want to finish at a Japanese university for my BA.」

That's probably going to be difficult. Yes, Japan does have two-year junior colleges (called "tandai"). Unlike in the U.S., though, it's not common for people in Japan to study for two years at a junior college, then transfer to a four-year school as a junior, study there for two more years, and earn a BA. I'm not sure if it's completely impossible, but in more than a decade living in Japan, I haven't personally met anyone who's done that.

Basically, junior college in Japan isn't treated like a stepping stone to four-year universities, and after finishing junior college most people then look for work. Students who want to attend four-year universities but don't meet the academic standards for them right after graduating from high school instead spend a year attending cram schools to prepare for the next year's round of college entrance exams.

Because of that, four-year universities in Japan often don't have the same sort of developed framework for transferring credits and eligibilities from other schools, even within Japan. I imagine getting units approved for transfer from an overseas (i.e. non-Japanese) school is even ore difficult, and tougher still if you're transferring units from a school that's not well-known internationally and/or can't provide some sort of documentation in Japanese, both of which are likely to be problems you'd run into with a U.S. junior college.

As mentioned by JapanCustomTours, you'll probably need to contact individual schools to see what kind of transfer opportunities, if any, they offer. Another possible option would be to complete two years of junior college in the U.S., then transfer to an American four-year university that has a study abroad agreement with a university in Japan. That was the path taken by many people I met while studying abroad in Tokyo during college (though in this case your degree will likely still be issued by your U.S. university).

My Japanese friend who graduated from a 'Tandai' got a BA degree, having done 'Hennyu' to an university. I am not sure if your community college will be treated as a Tandai and this way is practical for you but I hope that this team of 'Hennyu' helps you with further search.