Japan's government will push a large-scale talent development plan to send 30,000 young researchers overseas over the next five years to strengthen competitiveness in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. The idea is to expand overseas research experience to build an international joint research network and boost competitiveness in basic science.
According to Nikkei Asia on the 17th (local time), the Japanese government is expected to finalize "Integrated Innovation Strategy 2026" as early as this month, which includes having 30,000 young researchers participate in mid- to long-term overseas research programs from this fiscal year through 2030. The targets are researchers within five years of earning a Ph.D. and doctoral students.
Integrated Innovation Strategy 2026 serves as guidance outlining the direction of Japan's future science and technology policy and focuses on nurturing 17 strategic fields such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum technology. The plan is considered one of the key policies of the "new technology nation" strategy promoted by the Sanae Takaichi administration.
To reduce the economic burden associated with overseas research activities, the Japanese government is also reviewing an expansion of existing support programs. Japan currently operates a system that dispatches researchers to overseas research institutions for up to two years. However, due to the recent weak yen and global inflation, the burden of overseas stay expense has grown.
An official at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology told Nikkei Asia, "We have raised some grants, but they are not keeping up with the pace of inflation."
The Japanese government's move to increase overseas research personnel comes as researchers' overseas placements have been declining for a long time. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, in 2023, 3,623 Japanese researchers conducted research abroad for 31 days or more, up from the previous year, but far short of the 7,674 in 2000—less than half.
The share of students studying abroad is also lower than in major countries. As of 2023, Japan had 8.6 students per 1,000 people enrolled in overseas universities and other institutions. In the same period, France and Germany each had about 40, Korea had 32.5, and China had 18.1.
Japan also lags major competitors in outcomes from international joint research. Among papers published from 2019 to 2021, the number of international joint research papers within the top 10% by citation count was 16,801 for the United Kingdom and 12,617 for Germany, while Japan stood at 4,913.
Nikkei Asia analyzed that as China, the United States, and European countries have made nurturing young scientists a central pillar of national strategy, Japan is also accelerating the expansion of overseas research experience to restore competitiveness in basic science. It also said that as the ability to build international research networks has become a determinant of advanced technology competitiveness, the expansion of overseas dispatches is emerging as a core task of Japan's science and technology policy.