Education

In his policy speech on January 18, Japan’s Prime Minister raised concern over the continued stagnation of research power for nearly 20 years and committed the country to improve the situation of young researchers. For Japan as a leading nation in science and technology, the continued stagnation of research power “is a grave situation” Yoshihide Suga told the Diet, and vowed to ”expand the support for doctoral students”. The Prime Minister went on to mention the country’s plans for a 10 trillion-yen university fund to create a platform for the cultivation of young talents and to encourage autonomous university management. Moreover, the government’s R&D funding will be increased to 30 trillion yen and the total amount of public and private R&D expenditures to 120 trillion yen over the next five years, he added. Accordingly, the investment to foster young researchers was highlighted in the latest draft of the 6th Science and Technology Basic Plan for the fiscal year 2021-2025, that was announced on January 19.

The Japanese government plans to contribute as much as 10 trillion yen to establish a fund in fiscal 2021 to strengthen university research by allocating profits from investment management.

The University of Tokyo plans to raise 20 billion yen bonds with a maturity of 40 years in early October this year. It will be the first of its kind after conditions of such issuances have been relaxed. Japan’s top rated university will use the funds to develop advanced research facilities and online education systems, according to news reports.

The University of Lausanne UNIL is expanding its partnerships in Japan. On August 13, 2020, a new university-wide agreement with Keio University was announced, promoting both the mobility of exchange students as well as visits of lecturers between the two institutions.

The University of Tokyo plans to raise 20 billion yen ($189 million) from its first ever bond issue, possibly in early October. The 40-year bond will be the first debt to be sold by a Japanese national university.

The University of Zurich and Kyoto University are entering into a strategic partnership. Japan’s second-oldest university and UZH are stepping up their cooperation in research and teaching and increasing efforts to support junior academics.

Composer and pianist Takashi Niigaki and others will launch an online music college on Aug. 8, with artists suspending music performances amid the novel coronavirus pandemic offering high-level and practical music education.

As part of strategies adopted Tuesday to promote Japanese-language education, the government is aiming to improve its outreach to foreign children so as to provide them with learning opportunities.

Japan took another step toward building technology-enabled "super cities," with legislation set to pass that will help advance local plans by lowering regulatory hurdles.

Japan's private education providers are scrambling to go online as a prolonged state of emergency is set to paralyze brick and mortar classrooms.