•  
  •  
 

ORCID

0000-0001-8082-2984

Keywords

foreign early-career academics, funding, globalization, Japan

Abstract

Many Japanese universities are actively promoting globalization in higher education by recruiting more foreign academics. The reduction of government funding results in a need to secure external funding. Foreign early-career academics in Japan, with language and cultural barriers, are facing bigger challenges in securing external research funding. This study focuses on foreign early-career academics in the humanities and social sciences, who represent a significant proportion of foreign academics in Japanese universities. The purpose of this study is to examine their current research funding situation and difficulties they encounter, and to clarify the support they require. Findings show three key areas of difficulty: language barrier, difficulties in gathering information, and lack of networking opportunities. It is noteworthy that foreign early-career academics have an advantage in their international connections, as they often possess information on overseas funding opportunities. The findings of this research offer insights into enhancing globalization in Japanese higher education and may also be valuable for other non-English-speaking countries.

References

Brotherhood, T., Hammond, C.D., & Kim, Y. (2020). Towards an actor-centered typology of

internationalization: a study of junior international faculty in Japanese universities. High Education, 79, 497–514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00420-5.

Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., Bywaters, D., &

Walker, K. (2020). Purposive sampling: complex or simple? Research case examples. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(8), 652–661. DOI: 10.1177/1744987120927206.

Cabinet Office (2016). Foreign Faculty Numbers in National Universities.

https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/stsonota/katudocyosa/h27/innovation10.pdf

Chen, L. (2020). Chinese faculty in Japan’s universities: Demographic characteristics, adaptation to affiliated institutions, and opinions on internationalization. In F. Huang & T. Daizen (Eds.), An international and comparative study of international faculty members. Reviews in higher education, 154 (pp. 57–69). Hiroshima University Research Institute for Higher Education.

Fujimura, M. (2018). Why Has Research Productivity Stalled in Japan?: The State of the Academic Profession. Daigaku Ronshu: Research in Higher Education, 50, 1–16. http://doi.org/10.15027/45662

Hiroshima University (2019). Basic Policy for Establishing Evaluation Criteria for Tenure Review and Post Review, and Unified Procedures for Evaluation.  https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/system/files/121058/テニュア審査基準作成の基本方針及びテニュア審査基準における統一的取扱について.pdf

Huang, F., Daizen, T., & Kim, Y. (2019). Challenges Facing International Faculty at Japanese Universities: Main Findings from the 2017 National Survey. International Journal of Educational Development, 71, 1–8. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102103.

Huang, F. (2020). Preface. In F. Huang & T. Daizen (Eds.), An international and comparative study of international faculty members. Reviews in higher education, 154 (pp. i–ii). Hiroshima University Research Institute for Higher Education.

Huang, F. (2021). International faculty at Japanese universities: Main findings from national survey in 2017. In F. Huang & A. R. Welch (Eds.), International faculty in Asia: In comparative global perspective, 21, 45–62. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4980-3.

Huang, F., & Chen, L. (2021). Chinese faculty members at Japanese universities: Who are they and why do they work in Japan. ECNU Review of Education, 4(4), 743–763.

Huang, F., & Daizen, T. (2020). Foreign Faculty in Japan’s Universities: Focusing on Demographic Characteristics and Perceptions. In F. Huang & T. Daizen (Eds.), An international and comparative study of international faculty members. Reviews in higher education, 154 (pp. 39–56). Hiroshima University Research Institute for Higher Education.

JSPS (2024a). Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. https://www.jsps.go.jp/j-grantsinaid/

JSPS (2024b). New Application & Accepted Numbers. https://www.jsps.go.jp/file/storage/kaken_27_kdata_2023/3-1-3_r5.pdf

JSPS (2024). Official Website. List of Review Committee Members. https://www.jsps.go.jp/j-grantsinaid/14_kouho/meibo.html

JST (2024). Official Website. Outline of JST. https://www.jst.go.jp/all/about/outline.html

Kojima, M. (2020). Methods and Techniques to Obtain Kakenhi (7th Edition). Yodosha.

Lai, H. (2023). Perceptions of China among foreign faculty in universities under new circumstances: Characteristics, influencing factors, and responses — a case study based on University S. China Scholars Abroad, 7, 38–42.

Li, M. (2020). A Study on Role Expectations for Foreign Faculty in Japan’s Universities: The Case of S University, a Regional National University. In F. Huang & T. Daizen (Eds.), An international and comparative study of international faculty members. Reviews in higher education, 154 (pp. 71–84). Hiroshima University Research Institute for Higher Education.

MEXT. (2000). School Basic Survey: Higher Education Institutions. https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00400001&tstat=000001011528&cycle=0&tclass1=000001055497&tclass2=000001055527&tclass3=000001055528&tclass4=000001055530&tclass5val=0

MEXT. (2008). Chapter 2: University Internationalization and Regional Contribution. MEXT White Book 2008. https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/html/hpaa200901/1283098_004_01.pdf

MEXT. (2010). Examples of items recommended for publication from the perspective of international university evaluation activities and dissemination of information about Japanese universities abroad. https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo4/houkoku/1294329.htm

MEXT. (2014). The Trends and Challenges in Reforming Human Resource Development Systems under the “Support for the Development of Independent Research Environments for Early-Career Researchers” Program. https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/gijyutu/gijyutu10/siryo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2014/08/18/1350742_03.pdf

MEXT. (2022). Composition of University Revenue. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20240604-mxt_chousa01-000036207_53.xlsx&ved=2ahUKEwjB2736qJuHAxX3i68BHWp0CdQQFnoECCMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2jAkFUhHGsr8TENnO9OYCm

MEXT. (2024). Statistical Handbook of MEXT in 2024-Universities. https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/toukei/002/002b/1417059_00008.htm

MEXT. (2025). Future promotion strategies for the advancement of the humanities and social sciences. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20250116-mxt_sinkou01-000039671_02-1.pdf

Morimoto, Y. (2014). Efforts to understand the research capabilities of the humanities and social sciences. Research Administration Conference 2014 [poster session]. https://u4u.oeic.hokudai.ac.jp/ura_sympo/poster/sessionpresentation/S-04/s-04.pdf

Miyazaki, N., Brown, H., & Kusumi, T. (2022). Japanese language training for foreign faculty - report on needs analysis and implementation. Journal of International Studies and Regional Development, 13, 1–13.

NISTEP. (2020). The Status of Academics in Universities and Public Research Institutions. https://www.nistep.go.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Data01_NISTEP-NR172-Statistics.pdf

Nagane, H., & Nagano, H. (2021). Transformation of the University from the researcher’s perspective: A study based on interviews with researchers. The Journal of Science Policy and Research Management, 36(3), 204–256.

            DOI: https://doi.org/10.20801/jsrpim.36.3_240.

Osaka Prefecture University (2018). Criteria (Guidelines) for Tenure Qualification Review. https://www.osakafu-u.ac.jp/omu-content/uploads/sites/1162/recruit/criteria_eng_marine_tt_jp_1753-1.pdf

Sakurai, Y., & Mason, S. (2023). Foreign early career academics’ wellbeing profiles at workplaces in Japan: a person-oriented approach. Higher Education, 86, 1395–1413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00978-7

Sato, Y. (2008). Qualitative data analysis methods: Principles, methods, and practice. Shinyosha.

Waseda University. (2016). Tenure Review Criteria. https://www.waseda.jp/fsci/assets/uploads/2014/05/criterion_2016_information.pdf

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.