Japan’s Universities Could Get Cash for Luring U.S. Researchers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, November 5, 2025

Japanese universities looking to host top researchers from overseas could soon get aid from the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. With the Trump administration moving to block some enrollment of international students and slashing research staff, the aim is to draw in researchers leaving the United States.

The ministry plans to accept 100 or more researchers and will support universities and research institutes with the personnel costs and research funds needed to recruit them.

Support will run for three years. Project leaders will receive ¥30 million per person annually, postdoctoral researchers ¥15 million and graduate students about ¥5 million. The ministry has included ¥1.7 billion in related costs in its fiscal 2026 budget request.

U.S. President Donald Trump has attempted to block Harvard University from admitting international students, while also significantly trimming staff at research organizations and cutting university subsidies. Europe and other regions are stepping up efforts to entice top researchers, intensifying global competition for talent.

Seeing a chance to boost Japan’s science and technology sector, the government plans to invest around ¥100 billion to secure researchers, tapping investment returns from the University Endowment Fund, among other sources.