JAPAN / Science & Health

Crisis in Japanese science leaves young researchers struggling to find long-term positions

Researchers work in the lab of Nobel Prize laureate Yoshinori Ohsumi at the Tokyo Institute of Technology's Yokohama campus on Oct. 4. Sentiment is grim among many young Japanese with doctorates as few long-term research positions are available. | KYODO

By Shusuke Murai
Staff Writer

Oct 18, 2016

On Oct. 3, Japan celebrated the news that Tokyo-based microbiologist Yoshinori Ohsumi had won a Nobel Prize. It was the third consecutive year for a Japanese scientist to win a Nobel.

Yet the achievements of Ohsumi, 71, and other recent laureates seem increasingly out of reach for young Japanese researchers struggling to secure jobs amid a shift in focus toward practical research and a glut of people with doctorates.

At a news conference following his Nobel award, Ohsumi said the entire discipline of science is in danger. He said it will "hollow out" unless young Japanese researchers are given a chance to engage in long-term research.

Crisis in Japanese science leaves young researchers struggling to find long-term positions

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox