The Japanese government is allocating ¥100 billion (approximately $693 million) to support foreign scientists, including American ones, who are seeking more favorable conditions for research due to the policies of the Trump administration, The Register reports.
The program aims to strengthen Japan's position in the global competition for talent in technology sectors, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Tohoku University in Sendai will receive part of the funds - ¥30 billion ($208 million) will go to attract about 500 researchers from Japan and other countries.
Minister of Economic Security and Science Minoru Kiyuchi said that Japan aims to become the most attractive country in the world for scientists.
The program comes amid cuts to U.S. science funding, including to NASA and the National Science Foundation, and criticism of the Trump administration's academic equality initiatives, raising concerns about academic freedom.
Similar initiatives have previously been launched in the EU and the UK. The European Commission announced the Choose Europe programme in May with a budget of €500 million ($566 million) for 2025–2027. In France, the University of Aix-Marseille has launched the Safe Place for Science programme. The British parliament has called for measures to attract American scientists to the area, although only £50 million ($67 million) has been allocated so far.
Japan is also stepping up investment in chip production: Rapidus, a company founded in 2022, aims to launch production of 2nm processors by 2027. This may further interest semiconductor researchers.