Young Japanese scholars are moving to China for better opportunities: Asahi Shimbun

TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Young Japanese scholars are opting to do research at Chinese universities for more promising career prospects, Japan's Asahi Shimbun has reported.

The daily newspaper cited the case of Motoyuki Hattori, a promising young scholar who left Japan seven years ago for a professorship at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Hattori, now 40, specializes in the structure and function of membrane transporters. He said when he graduated from university seven years ago, he wanted to quickly start his own laboratory, but the process usually takes at least 10 years in Japan. He decided to move to China.

The newspaper reported that Japan has been using a funding system that critics say is pushing away young researchers. China's fast-changing academic landscape makes it easier for scholars like Hattori to head abroad.

Chinese scientists in their 30s and 40s who studied in the United States have begun returning home to work and publish scientific articles. Furthermore, with a growing pool of young talent, China does not have to rely on costly programs to lure big names, said Hattori.

"It is essential for progress in science to have large numbers of scholars and to have them in broader areas," the scholar said, adding that the Chinese government's increasing support for regional universities to raise academic standards across the country has proven effective.