A record 72.8 percent of college students in Japan have participated in corporate internship programs, a recent survey by Mynavi Corp. has found.

The internship participation rate inched up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year’s survey, according to the job information company.

Of the respondents, 53.9 percent said it is easy for them to participate in one-day “internship” programs, while 33.8 percent preferred internship periods of two or three days.

“Many students hope to get information on companies in a short period,” an official of Mynavi’s research and marketing department said.

Meanwhile, there are concerns among universities about short-term internship programs, as well as negative effects on schoolwork from internship participation.

Short internship programs are “not different from company briefing sessions, and some are apparently linked to recruitment processes,” said an official of Meiji University in Tokyo. “Students cannot attend classes because of internship programs.”

In response to such concerns, major trading firm Sumitomo Corp. has separated one-day internships from its recruitment process.

During a one-day program this year, the company did not brief participating students about the details of its businesses but held a debate session among them on general issues, including what skills are necessary for working around the globe.

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., a unit of Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., plans to offer a three-day internship program in mid-February, when universities do not usually hold classes.