The Japanese government announced plans to send 30,000 young researchers abroad over the next five years to gain experience in artificial intelligence and quantum computing fields. This program will span fiscal years 2026 to 2030 as part of the 2026 Innovation Strategy released in June 2026 [1, 2].
The current overseas researcher dispatch scheme targets recent or current doctoral students for two-year study stints. In fiscal year 2023, 3,623 Japanese researchers participated in medium- to long-term overseas projects lasting at least 31 days. This figure is less than half the 7,674 researchers dispatched in fiscal year 2000 [2].
Japan's relatively low rate of students studying abroad contributes to these numbers. In 2023, only 8.6 students per 1,000 studied overseas, compared with about 40 per 1,000 in France and Germany and 18.1 per 1,000 in China [2]. A Ministry of Education official said, "We have increased some subsidy amounts but these measures still have not kept up with inflation," citing rising living costs and yen depreciation as challenges for overseas researchers [2].
International collaboration remains a weak spot for Japan compared to nations such as the UK and Germany based on highly cited research output from 2019 to 2021 [2].
To address these issues, the government is considering increasing financial support to cover higher living expenses abroad. The expanded talent dispatch program aims to improve Japan's global competitiveness in AI and quantum science by providing young researchers with greater international exposure and collaboration opportunities [1, 2].
