Chinese Students Comprise 30％ of Japan’s Doctoral Support Program Recipients; Launched in Fiscal 2021, Program Provides ¥2.9 Mil Per Year to Help Develop Specialized Talent

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:01 JST, March 25, 2025

Students from China accounted for about 30% of the recipients of a national doctoral support program for fiscal 2024, which provides living and research expenses for outstanding doctoral students, making them the largest nationality group, it has been learned.

An official at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry disclosed the information on Monday in response to a question from House of Councillors member Haruko Arimura of the Liberal Democratic Party at the upper house Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense.

The support program, “Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation (SPRING),” was launched in fiscal 2021 by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which is operates under the jurisdiction of the Education Ministry.

This program provides up to ¥2.9 million per year to doctoral students nationwide to promote the development of specialized human resources. In fiscal 2024 out of 10,564 recipients, 4,125 were international students, with Chinese nationals making up the largest segment at 2,904.

Arimura emphasized that excessive reliance on international students should be avoided from an economic security standpoint, saying, “Without clearly establishing the principle of supporting Japanese students, we cannot gain public understanding.”

The ministry said that it will discuss the future direction of the program in a council.