Japan draws up 100 bln yen policy to attract foreign researchers

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.

As reported previously, Japan has remained at 118th among 148 countries in the gender gap rankings in 2025, still worst among the Group of Seven nations.