Photo/Illutration The Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Naoatsu Aoyama)

A number of Japanese universities have announced their intention to accept researchers from the United States who are struggling with the cuts in research funds being implemented by the Trump administration.

There is major significance in inviting outstanding researchers from abroad.

By coming into contact with different value systems and research methods, Japanese researchers and students will widen and deepen their perspectives, which, in turn, could lead to an improvement in their research ability.

But there are many nations in Europe and elsewhere that are also pursuing such researchers.

There are doubts as to whether many top-flight researchers will choose to come to Japan where the research environment pales in comparison to that found abroad.

The government has reduced basic expenses that support paying for personnel and research and has continued with a policy of encouraging excessive competition

Tax grants for operating expenses of national universities have decreased by 13 percent during the 20 years since such institutions became corporate entities. The total is now about 1 trillion yen ($6.9 billion).

Subsidies to private universities, which have increased in number by close to 100, have remained largely unchanged at around 300 billion yen.

To rein in personnel expenses, various universities have decreased the number of researchers hired for indefinite periods and have increased those on fixed-term employment contracts, which place such individuals in a more unstable position.

The overall research environment has also worsened with delays in purchases or renewals of facilities and equipment.

The government policy of having universities try to cover for its insufficient funding by winning research funding has only accelerated the decrease in research ability.

Many of the projects covered by such competitive funds are often short-term ones. That has led more researchers to take on research themes that quickly lead to results, which, in turn, have made it more difficult to achieve breakthrough results.

There are also more researchers who cannot secure adequate research time because they are being overwhelmed with paperwork to apply for such funds.

As a result, Japan’s international standing has fallen in various indicators of research level, such as the number of scholarly articles that are quoted by other scientists.

There is also the question of pay.

While professors at noted U.S. universities often receive annual salaries of about 30 million yen, professors at Japanese national universities only receive about 10 million yen.

Many of the universities that have announced their intention to accept U.S. researchers are limiting their search to young people because of their difficult financial circumstances.

The government recently compiled policies for enticing researchers from abroad, including the United States.

The government will provide about 100 billion yen so universities can bring in foreign researchers.

But the policy virtually limits the program to noted universities or for short-term periods.

Amid such moves, Tohoku University has made waves with its announcement of investing 30 billion yen over the next five years to attract 500 top-flight foreign researchers.

No maximum limits will be placed on the salaries of full professors, meaning some could receive 100 million yen or so a year and would be allowed to continue with their research in the United States.

Tohoku University’s plan is made possible because it was selected by the government as the only University for International Research Excellence.

Under that project, the university receives several tens of billions of yen a year from a government fund.

But if only a handful of universities accept outstanding researchers on a temporary basis, the effects will be limited.

To utilize this opportunity to strengthen Japan’s research ability, there is a need for policies that will boost the research environment at many universities to approach global standards from a mid- and long-term perspective.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 17

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