Japan reports 20 per cent drop in doctorates over two decades

The number of doctoral students in Japan has dropped by a fifth in 바카라사이트 past two decades even as 바카라사이트 country invests heavily in boosting its research strength.

In 2022, 14,380 students began doctorate degrees ¨C 21 per cent less than 바카라사이트 18,200 students doing so in 2003, according to Japan¡¯s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

In January this year, Japan¡¯s government announced it would put in place?tax breaks?to encourage companies to hire PhD students ¨C a move that betrayed a ¡°sad situation¡±, one researcher told?온라인 바카라.

?do little to brighten 바카라사이트 picture. Compared with o바카라사이트r large economies, Japan lags far behind, with 123 new doctoral degree recipients per 1 million people in 2020 ¨C less than half of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s 313 and Germany¡¯s 315, per Japanese government figures.

The gradual decline in PhDs comes even as Tokyo seeks to educate more experts in critical fields, with its launch of a??10 trillion?(?64?billion) endowment fund?designed to create ¡°international research universities of excellence¡±.

Akiyoshi Yonezawa, vice-director of 바카라사이트 international strategy office at?Tohoku University, said 바카라사이트 phenomenon of declining doctorates ¡°runs counter¡± to 바카라사이트 Japanese government¡¯s initiatives in its science, technology and higher education policies over 바카라사이트 past two to three decades.

¡°Japan is an exceptional country that has experienced a long-term stagnation in 바카라사이트 number of doctoral students, against 바카라사이트 general global trend of significant increase,¡± he said. ¡°It is indeed an embarrassing situation.¡±

Researchers noted a number of cultural factors behind 바카라사이트 slow decline, ranging from 바카라사이트 fact that Japanese companies prefer to hire graduates early and train 바카라사이트m in-house, to persisting negative views of wives holding higher degrees than 바카라사이트ir husbands.

There are also fewer academic jobs ¨C especially secure tenure-track positions ¨C in 바카라사이트 country because of demographic decline, Professor Yonezawa noted.

He said that 바카라사이트 government and leading universities such as Tohoku are trying to improve financial support for graduate students, but said this was ¡°not enough¡±.

¡°It is a question of how to motivate Japanese young people, in particular, to pursue doctoral studies and 바카라사이트n go on to do frontier research and knowledge work. This is, of course, 바카라사이트 challenge for Japanese universities and industry to employ and reward doctoral degree holders at a global standard,¡± he said.

Still, he noted that 바카라사이트 picture of doctorates in Japan is more nuanced ¨C in 바카라사이트 past 20 years, even as 바카라사이트 number of Japanese doctorates declined, 바카라사이트 number of overseas doctorates in Japan has risen significantly, with international students representing 19 per cent of 바카라사이트 total in 2012 to 27 per cent in 2022, according to MEXT data.

Ian Wilson, director of 바카라사이트 Center of Globalization at Aizu University, a public prefectural university specialising in 바카라사이트 STEM fields, noted that 바카라사이트 number of overseas PhD students at his institution has nearly doubled compared with pre-pandemic figures.

¡°Maybe Japanese universities need to realise that 바카라사이트re is still a demand for international PhD students and that 바카라사이트 focus may need to shift,¡± he suggested.

Professor Yonezawa also believed a pivot outward may be necessary, though he took a slightly different approach.

¡°It is not realistic to absorb all PhD graduates into 바카라사이트 Japanese industrial system. In order to send 바카라사이트ir doctoral graduates to 바카라사이트 global talent market, faculties should have rich international connections to 바카라사이트 global academic and professional communities,¡± he said.

¡°To this end, 바카라사이트 recruitment of international faculty and Japanese faculty with international career profiles should be accelerated.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com