Latest news with #TohokuUniversity
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Universities Eye U.S. Researchers Amid Trump's Science Budget Cuts; Money Earmarked for Recruitment
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Tohoku University In response to cuts to scientific research by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, Japanese universities have strengthened efforts to acquire researchers who are finding difficult to continue their work at U.S. universities and other institutions. The University of Osaka has earmarked ¥600 million to ¥1 billion for accepting up to 100 U.S. postdoctoral researchers at its Graduate School of Medicine. The university will call for international applications in a few months and expects to receive some from young researchers in the medical field. 'We would like to see excellent researchers from the United States fully demonstrate their abilities at the University of Osaka,' said Masaru Ishii, dean of the Graduate School of Medicine, at a press conference Thursday. 'This would help boost Japan's national strength, too.' The initial employment period is expected to be one year, with continuation beyond that undecided. In order to make this a permanent initiative, Ishii said, 'We hope for support from the government.' Kyoto University has also begun its own preparations to accept U.S. researchers. The Institute of Science Tokyo will soon set up a contact point for inquiries from foreign researchers belonging to U.S. universities. Tohoku University held recruitment events for young researchers and others in the United States from May 19 to May 23. About 180 people participated in the events at institutions including Stanford University and hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School. At the events, the university provided consultation regarding research and the living environment. 'The difference in salary levels between the United States [and Japan] is significant. We will also need to provide support for researchers' families,' a Tohoku University official said. The university is said to be earmarking several billions of yen to attract excellent researchers. Tohoku University is an accredited 'University for International Research Excellence,' and aims to become a world-class research institution. It received ¥15.4 billion in government subsidies this fiscal year. 'We would like to strengthen our research capabilities by continuously attracting outstanding researchers from leading universities, including Harvard University,' said Hideo Harigae, executive vice president of Tohoku University.
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
500 Japanese, Chinese university students take part in exchange event
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- About 500 Japanese and Chinese college students took part in an exchange event Thursday at Renmin University of China in Beijing, with dance, martial arts and calligraphy performances featured on stage. Some 300 Japanese students got together in the Chinese capital to interact with about 200 Chinese students after visiting areas such as Shanghai and the provinces of Shanxi, Jiangxi and Yunnan in several groups since Saturday. Chikara Oe, a 21-year-old student from Tohoku University in Japan, said he joined the exchange program and visited China for the first time as he was interested in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence in the country. "I only had information (on China) from social media, so I wanted to see the country with my own eyes," Oe said. "Shanghai was like a future city and I thought it was more developed than Japan. After I return home, I will recommend my friends to visit China and have first-hand experiences." Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said in his speech at the event that it is "the will of the two countries' leaders to further promote personal and cultural exchanges," stressing the importance of deepening mutual understanding among younger generations who will be responsible for future bilateral ties. The envoy called for more people-to-people exchanges, saying negative public sentiment toward each other remains a challenge. An annual survey showed last year that nearly 90 percent of respondents in each of the neighboring Asian countries had an unfavorable impression of the other.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
500 Japanese, Chinese university students take part in exchange event
About 500 Japanese and Chinese college students took part in an exchange event Thursday at Renmin University of China in Beijing, with dance, martial arts and calligraphy performances featured on stage. Some 300 Japanese students got together in the Chinese capital to interact with about 200 Chinese students after visiting areas such as Shanghai and the provinces of Shanxi, Jiangxi and Yunnan in several groups since Saturday. Chikara Oe, a 21-year-old student from Tohoku University in Japan, said he joined the exchange program and visited China for the first time as he was interested in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence in the country. "I only had information (on China) from social media, so I wanted to see the country with my own eyes," Oe said. "Shanghai was like a future city and I thought it was more developed than Japan. After I return home, I will recommend my friends to visit China and have first-hand experiences." Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said in his speech at the event that it is "the will of the two countries' leaders to further promote personal and cultural exchanges," stressing the importance of deepening mutual understanding among younger generations who will be responsible for future bilateral ties. The envoy called for more people-to-people exchanges, saying negative public sentiment toward each other remains a challenge. An annual survey showed last year that nearly 90 percent of respondents in each of the neighboring Asian countries had an unfavorable impression of the other. © KYODO
Malaysian Reserve
22-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Rice costs imperil Ishiba after minister quits in Japan
DURING Japan's Edo period, feudal lords were warned that peasant revolts start with rice. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is finding political survival can still hinge on the price of the staple food. The cost of rice has more than doubled over the past year, straining household budgets and forcing people to find alternatives. It's gotten so bad that some schools are cutting back on rice-based school lunches, a drastic move in a country where the meals are seen as key to raising healthy children. Food inflation had already become a major headache for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of July's national election. Then, the agricultural minister bragged that he personally never bought rice because his supporters gave him so much that he could sell it if he wanted to. Three days later, he was out of a job. Ishiba is trying desperately to avoid the same fate. Support for Ishiba's cabinet has fallen to the lowest levels since he took office last October, according to surveys published by major Japanese news organizations. The cost of food has fueled a fight over whether it should be curbed by cutting the sales tax. This has emboldened opposition parties, who excoriated the former agricultural minister for being out of touch with the hardships ordinary people face amid soaring prices. 'Rice policy will have a major impact on the upper house election,' said Kazunuki Ohizumi, professor emeritus at Miyagi University, who specializes in agricultural policy. 'The continued high prices are largely due to missteps by the ministry of agriculture, and the minister's gaffe only made things worse.' The government has sought to cut prices by releasing some of the country's emergency reserves, kept in warehouses in case of natural disasters. That has failed. Despite selling over 200,000 tons of the grain to distributors in March, only about 11% of the amount actually found its way into stores. The rest has been held up in the supply chain. The government released another 100,000 tons last month, but prices hit a record on May 5th. Fear of a shortfall in this year's harvest is helping prop up prices, according to Katsuhito Fuyuki, a professor at Tohoku University who specializes in agricultural economics. 'In March, trade prices among dealers dropped temporarily, but the market judged the release as ineffective, and prices went up again in April,' said Fuyuki. 'Unless the government clearly signals that new rice will be properly supplied, prices probably won't come down significantly.' The price surge has been caused by a broken supply chain. Despite an increase in last year's harvest, the collection agents who buy from farmers reported a drop off in the amount they were able to purchase. While the cost of rice in Japan keeps rising, the Asian benchmark has fallen 13% this year. The new agricultural minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said he told his staff to rethink the system from scratch and would be willing to release rice from reserves without limits if necessary. 'Our top priority is rice,' he said at a press conference on Wednesday night. 'We will do everything in our power to provide rice to consumers at a stable price.' However, imports are a politically sensitive topic. In contrast to many other types of food, the country has high tariffs on rice to protect domestic farmers, who are a key voting bloc for the ruling party. Still, in response to US President Donald Trump's repeated criticism, Ishiba said earlier this month that increasing imports could be one possible concession Japan might offer. Despite the tariffs, high domestic prices offer an opportunity for some importers. Supermarket chain Aeon Co Ltd. plans to begin selling California rice for about 15% less than the average price of domestically produced rice. 'This launch couldn't come at a better time for consumers,' said US Ambassador to Japan George Glass at a promotional event for Calrose rice last week. With persistent inflation damping consumer sentiment, opposition parties are redoubling calls for a cut in the consumption tax, a proposal that could potentially bolster their public support. Ishiba has pushed back against the idea, citing Japan's precarious fiscal situation, which he claimed is even worse than that of Greece. Lowering the consumption tax to 5%, as proposed by the Democratic Party for the People, would reduce the average household's annual financial burden by about ¥141,000, according to estimates by Toshihiro Nagahama, chief economist at the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. The measure could also lift real GDP by around 1.1 percentage points, while it would lead to a significant decline in tax revenue, the economist said. Another proposal is to eliminate the tax for food, while keeping it for other items. 'People want to see rice prices fall,' said Miyagi University's Ohizumi. 'To make that happen, we need emergency, short-term and long-term measures. For now, even taking just the emergency steps would help.' –BLOOMBERG
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Eight universities apply for Japan's ¥10 trillion research grant program
The education ministry said Tuesday that eight national and private universities have applied for grants from the government's ¥10 trillion university fund, aimed at promoting world-class research projects, in the second-round selection process. The applications for the grants under Japan's Universities for International Research Excellence program will be screened from July through the winter. Selected universities are expected to begin receiving the grants by next March. The eight universities are the University of Osaka, Kyoto University, Waseda University, the University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, the Institute of Science Tokyo, the University of Tsukuba and Nagoya University. Friday was the deadline for submitting applications in the second-round. All eight had filed applications in the first-round selection process, in which Tohoku University was chosen as the first recipient of the grants last November. Tokyo University of Science took part in the first round, but did not submit an application in the second round. The ministry is set to select a few schools as recipients under the program, which provides selected universities with grants for up to 25 years. Tohoku University was given about ¥15.4 billion in February this year as its grant for the first year. For the second-round screening, the ministry set up a new advisory board of 11 experts, including Andrew Hamilton, honorary president of New York University.
