OSAKA -- There are some 140,000 students from abroad studying in Japan. But compared to Europe and other regions, financial support from society for these students is limited, and deteriorating research conditions are hindering overseas students from settling in Japan. Taking a deeper look into the situation, the Mainichi Shimbun interviewed Luo Wenshu, a Chinese researcher who was a graduate student in Japan.

Luo came to Japan in 2008 to study at Hokkaido University, a partner institution of Shanghai Ocean University, in which she was enrolled. The Hokkaido institution's graduate school had the advantage of being closer to China than the United States and European countries, and it also had a good environment for marine applied life sciences, in which she specialized. After obtaining her master's degree there, she entered a doctoral course in genetics at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai, in Shizuoka Prefecture.

When she began studying for her doctorate, the financial burden weighed heavily on her. At Hokkaido University's graduate school, she had been able to do a part-time job at the same time, but in Shizuoka Prefecture, as her research became busier with experiments and writing papers it became difficult to do both.

The rent in Shizuoka was higher than in Hokkaido, and tuition fees for the second semester ran into hundreds of thousands of yen (100,000 yen is approximately $670), which she found a burden. She somehow managed to pay her tuition fees with help from her parents, but the thought crossed her mind that if the same situation were to continue the following year and beyond, she would have to pull out of her studies.

Fortunately, from her second year onward, she was able to obtain a private scholarship for overseas students totaling 240,000 yen (roughly $1,600) a month, and was able to continue her studies. She reflected, "The research environment in Japan isn't inferior, but there is an overwhelming lack of support for students enrolled in doctoral courses."

After completing her Ph.D., she continued her research for a year as a postdoctoral researcher, but from 2016, she became a doctoral research fellow at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. She was guaranteed higher pay than in Japan, and she immersed herself in the specialized fields of neuroscience and genetics, researching gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease, among other areas.

Luo said, "In Switzerland and other European countries, doctoral holders receive kind treatment, with various guarantees and benefits enabling them to press ahead with their research. I had more financial leeway than I did when I was in Japan," she said. At the same time, she said, competition was more intense than in Japan, as joint research with overseas research institutes and private companies thrived and researchers were required to show how much their research had contributed to society.

There are major differences between Japan and Western countries in the treatment offered to young researchers. In the United States and the United Kingdom, many research institutes and foundations continue to provide financial support including tuition and living expenses for doctoral students in the natural sciences. There is also plenty of support for life events, such as marriage, childbirth, and child care. A representative of Mitsubishi Research Institute, a think tank that has surveyed such circumstances, stated, "The majority of doctoral students in Japan are not receiving financial support. This should be addressed swiftly, such as by providing adequate and comprehensive economic treatment."

Even when it comes to postdoctoral employment and salary, Japan does not offer the same level of treatment as in the United States and Europe. According to a survey on employment and career paths of young researchers, including postdocs, whose results were released in March by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy, which is under the jurisdiction of the education ministry, the standard monthly pay for postdoctoral researchers ranged from 350,000 yen (about $2,350) to under 400,000 yen (around $2,680) in roughly 17% of cases, making this the most common salary range. The next biggest group was from 300,000 yen (roughly $2,010) to under 350,000 yen (about 16% of cases), while in about 15% or cases it was under 200,000 yen (about $1,340). Annually, even the highest level is around 420,000 to 480,000 yen (approx. $2,820 to $3,220), falling below levels of pay offered in the West.

Luo, who experienced the research environments of three different countries: China, Japan and Switzerland, expressed disappointment with the situation. "In any country young researchers face unstable conditions, but students in Japan have to take on more debt to continue their studies," she said. "A situation where they can't concentrate on their research due to financial pressure hampers the development of science and technology."

Luo, who learned the basics as a researcher in Japan, is now engaged in gene therapy research and development at a Chinese pharmaceutical company.

(Japanese original by Yin Tanaka, Osaka Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)