Japan draws up 100 bil. yen policy to attract foreign researchers
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government unveiled on Friday a 100 billion yen ($700 million) policy package designed to attract foreign researchers, some of whom may have joined the exodus of talent from the United States due to research funding cuts.
The measures aim to create an elite research environment in Japan, as competition to lure talent intensifies globally in fields such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
The government also plans to use profits generated from a 10 trillion yen investment fund set up by the state to help universities produce internationally competitive research.
"We will make utmost efforts to make our country the most attractive in the world for researchers," said science and technology policy minister Minoru Kiuchi at a press conference.
Many researchers have departed the United States as President Donald Trump's administration has pushed elite universities to prioritize American students over those from other countries and slashed federal funding for many programs.
Japan's new policy package will fund many existing programs, including a plan by Tohoku University to spend around 30 billion yen to recruit about 500 researchers from Japan and abroad.
An education ministry project in which hubs will be created to promote top-level research is also included.
The government aims to raise salaries for researchers and reduce their administrative burden, allowing them to concentrate on their work. It also seeks to acquire advanced technology for use at institutions.
Kiuchi said the government will consider additional measures to retain researchers after bringing them in from abroad.
Despite the government's recent efforts to promote science and technology research, an education ministry institute said that last year Japan remained ranked at a record-low 13th place in the number of highly cited scientific papers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
India PM Modi eyes visit to Japan in August for bullet train deal
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 19:11 | All, World, Japan The Japanese and Indian governments are arranging for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Japan in late August for talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, diplomatic sources said Saturday. The two leaders are expected to agree on India's adoption of a next-generation shinkansen bullet train being developed by East Japan Railway Co. for a high-speed rail project underway in western India, the sources said. They may also agree to revise the 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation to expand their security partnership amid China's increasing maritime prowess, they said. The visit would be Modi's first since May 2023, when he attended the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, western Japan. Modi and Ishiba also aim to strengthen communication ahead of a four-way summit with the United States and Australia under the Quad framework, which New Delhi is set to host in the fall. The high-speed rail line will connect the western Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, covering about 500 kilometers in roughly two hours. The project is considered a symbol of Japan-India cooperation, as it will use Japan's renowned shinkansen technology. JR East aims to complete the E10 series carriages in the fall of 2027 at the earliest, with commercial operation starting in fiscal 2030. In their meeting, Modi and Ishiba are expected to confirm plans to introduce the E10 series in the early 2030s, according to the sources. Through the revised security declaration, the two sides are expected to agree on strengthening comprehensive cooperation in broader areas, including space and cybersecurity, the sources said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Astronaut Takuya Onishi Finds ISS Commander Role Highly Rewarding; Due to Return to Earth Around July
Takuya Onishi, an astronaut who has been on a long-term mission at the International Space Station since March, said that his role as ISS commander is highly rewarding. Onishi, 49, reached the ISS via a SpaceX spacecraft in March and has become the third Japanese national to serve as an ISS commander since April. 'I find [the role as commander] highly rewarding,' he said at a press conference on Friday night. During his first half of the long-term mission, he was engaged in scientific experiments and other activities. 'I would like to lead my crew as best as I can for the rest of the period,' Onishi said. Onishi is scheduled to return to the Earth in or after July, once replacement astronauts, including Kimiya Yui, 55, arrive on the ISS.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Kyodo News
U.S. asked Japan to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP
KYODO NEWS - 8 minutes ago - 20:15 | All, Japan, World U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has asked Japan to raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product, a request that will likely prompt Tokyo to call off a planned high-level meeting with Washington, a Japan-U.S. diplomatic source said Saturday. The request was made recently by Elbridge Colby, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, the Financial Times has reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Colby, a seasoned strategist, had previously pressed Japan to increase its defense spending to 3 percent of its GDP. The increased demand will likely lead Japan to cancel a planned meeting of the countries' foreign and defense chiefs, which was scheduled in Washington before Japan's House of Councillors election, expected on July 20. The meeting would have been the first since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump took office in October and January, respectively. Kyodo News reported in late May that Japan and the United States were considering holding the so-called two-plus-two security talks in Washington this summer. Japan and the United States had not formally said such talks, as held in July last year in Tokyo, would take place. In 2022, after Trump's first term, Japan decided to double its annual defense budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2027, a dramatic move in postwar security policy under the country's war-renouncing Constitution. But Trump continues to complain that the U.S.-Japan security treaty is one-sided, with his administration apparently planning to ask Tokyo to pay more for American troops based in the Japanese archipelago once bilateral negotiations over his tariffs proceed.
