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Japan Joins Race to Attract Top U.S. Researchers with ¥100 Bil. Investment
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo
The government has decided to allocate ¥100 billion from the operational proceeds of the ¥10 trillion University Endowment Fund and other sources to attract eminent researchers from overseas, including Japanese top researchers in the United States leaving the country having lost their jobs due to research funding cuts under the administration of President Donald Trump, Japan plans to fully engage in the intensifying global competition to attract talent.
The Cabinet Office has compiled the government initiative, and Minoru Kiuchi, who is the Cabinet minister responsible for science and technology, announced the details at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on June 13.
The University Endowment Fund is a program through which the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) entrusts financial institutions with the management of ¥10 trillion in government contributions. Some of the operating profits from this fund are provided as grants to institutions such as the Universities of International Research Excellence.
A substantial disparity in wages has posed a significant barrier to attracting foreign researchers, as compensation in the United States and Europe is reportedly two to three times higher than in government plans to use the operational profits from the University Endowment Fund to cover personnel costs and other expenses. This will allow the university to offer foreign researchers compensation comparable to that of their original institutions.
Specifically, through the JST, which manages the fund, the government intends to support domestic universities and national research and development agencies that receive personnel.
The current basic policy of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry limits support from the fund to doctoral students and Universities of International Research Excellence aiming for world-class research capabilities. The government plans to revise the policy shortly so that support will be available by autumn, when researcher recruitment primarily happens in the United States and Europe.
In addition to financial support, the government will also back reforms to university personnel systems to be able to receive researchers from overseas and equip institutions with cutting-edge research equipment.
Recruitment efforts are expected to extend to the United States and other countries, paired with public relations activities to showcase Japan's attractive lifestyle and cultural appeal.
The race to secure top U.S. researchers has intensified, with the European Union indicating it will contribute €500 million (about ¥83 billion). In response, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba instructed Kiuchi on June 4 to reinforce efforts to attract researchers at the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation.
