Politics & Government

Japan to Raise Budget for Science Grants by ¥10 Billion Amid Concerns About Sinking Global Profile

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:47 JST, December 25, 2025

The government has finalized plans to allocate ¥247.9 billion for grants-in-aid for scientific research, or kakenhi, in the fiscal 2026 budget. That is up by about ¥10 billion from the previous year’s budget, marking the largest increase in the past decade. The government aims to strengthen research capabilities, which some have said are in decline.

The kakenhi program, administered by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, is Japan’s largest for competitive research funding, covering the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. However, funding for the program had been almost flat in the main budget over the past decade.

For next fiscal year’s kakenhi, support for young researchers will be significantly expanded. In the category of “Challenging research (exploratory),” which supports creative and developing research, around 1,000 new slots specifically for young researchers will be created, doubling the total number of grants awarded. Each grant will provide up to ¥5 million.

In response to concerns about the declining global profile of Japanese researchers, funding for international collaborative research will be increased, and in awarding grants for such research, the acceptance rate will be raised.

Some economic and academic organizations have called for the kakenhi to be doubled. Last month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaking at the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, instructed ministers to significantly increase investment in basic research.

It was also announced on Wednesday that management expense grants for national universities, which go toward personnel and research expenses, are expected to total ¥1.0971 trillion in fiscal 2026, an increase of ¥18.8 billion from the previous fiscal year. This would be the largest increase on record outside of fiscal 2014, when the Great East Japan Earthquake impacted the budget.