※”Short-term” refers to a maximum period of stay of one month(30 days). “Mid-to long-term” refers to a period of stay exceeding one month (30 days).
1.Number of overseas researchers accepted, and the number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad
1)The number of overseas researchers accepted
Number of overseas researchers accepted for FY2012 Total : The total number of researchers which has been on decline since FY2009, increased for FY2012. (FY2010: 37,453 people -> FY2011: 33,615 -> FY2012: 37,066) Short-term: The number of short-term which has been on decline since FY2009, increased for FY2012. (FY2010: 23,212 people -> FY2011: 20,257 -> FY2012: 21,872) Mid-to long-term : The number of mid-to long-term researchers which has remained in between 12,000-14,000 people ever since FY2000, exceeded 15,000 for the first time in FY2012. (FY2010: 14,241 people -> FY2011: 13,358 -> FY2012: 15,194) |
※The number of overseas researchers accepted includes both postdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others from FY2010.
2)Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad
Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad for FY2012 Total : The total number of dispatched researchers has been on the rise since FY2010. (FY2010: 140,731 people -> FY2011: 155,056 -> FY2012: 165,569) Short-term: The number of short-term dispatched researchers has been on the rise since FY2010. (FY2010: 136,459 people -> FY2011: 149,871, FY2012: 160,394) Mid-to long-term : The number of mid-to long-term dispatched researchers remains nearly the same as FY2011. (FY2011: 5,185 people -> FY2012: 5,175) |
※The number of researchers dispatched abroad includes postdoctoral fellows from FY2008, and both postdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others from FY2010.
2.Situation on international research exchanges per organization
1)Number of overseas researchers accepted per organization
Number of overseas researchers accepted per organization for FY2012 Total : The highest number of researchers for both short-term and mid-to long-term was accepted by national universities and others, followed by private universities. Short-term: The number of short-term researchers which has been on decline since FY2009 has increased for FY2012. Mid-to long-term : The number of mid-to long-term researchers is on the rise for both national and private universities, with a considerable increase by private universities. |
※Only data after FY2002 is used on the number of short-term and mid-to long-term research dispatches per organization.
※For organizational transitions, refer to “(Reference 4) Additional conditions of subject organizations”.
※The number of accepted researchers includes postdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others from FY2010.
2) Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad per organization
Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad per organization for FY2012 Total : The highest number of researchers for both short-term, and mid-to long-term, were dispatched abroad by national universities and others. Short-term: The number of short-term researchers dispatched is on the rise for national and private universities, colleges of technology and incorporated administrative agencies. Mid-to long-term : The number of mid-to long-term researchers dispatched remains nearly the same as FY2011. |
※Only data after FY2002 is used on the number of short-term and mid-to long-term research dispatches per organization.
※For organizational transitions, refer to “(Reference 4) Additional conditions of subject organizations”.
※The number of accepted researchers includes post doctoratespostdoctoral fellows from FY2008, and both post-doctoratespostdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others from FY2010.
3) Main universities and research organizations with the highest number of overseas researchers accepted and Japanese researchers dispatched abroad
Chart 1: Main universities and research organizations with the highest number of overseas researchers accepted
Short Term | Mid-to Long-Term | Total Number (including both short term and mid-to long-term) |
||||
Organization | Number of researchers | Organization | Number of researchers | Organization | Number of researchers | |
1 | The University of Tokyo | 2,237 | The University of Tokyo | 1,045 | The University of Tokyo | 3,282 |
2 | Kyoto University | 2,159 | Waseda University | 810 | Kyoto University | 2,908 |
3 | High Energy Acceleratory Research Organization | 1,404 | Kyoto University | 749 | Tohoku University | 1,770 |
4 | Tohoku University | 1,258 | Osaka University | 607 | High Energy Acceleratory Research Organization | 1,479 |
5 | University of Tsukuba | 845 | Tohoku University | 512 | Osaka University | 1,399 |
6 | Osaka University | 792 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 475 | University of Tsukuba | 1,166 |
7 | Kyushu University | 778 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | 362 | Kyushu University | 1,132 |
8 | Hokkaido University | 644 | Kyushu University | 354 | Hokkaido University | 933 |
9 | Nagoya University | 529 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 352 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 925 |
10 | National Institutes of Natural Sciences | 505 | Nagoya University | 352 | Nagoya University | 881 |
11 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 482 | University of Tsukuba | 321 | Waseda University | 838 |
12 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 450 | Hokkaido University | 289 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 834 |
13 | National Institutes for the Humanities | 356 | National Institute for Materials Science | 247 | National Institutes of Natural Sciences | 569 |
14 | Kobe University | 312 | Keio University | 212 | National Institutes for the Humanities | 464 |
15 | Kumamoto University | 293 | Chiba University | 196 | Kumamoto University | 432 |
16 | Hiroshima University | 269 | Ritsumeikan University | 181 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | 428 |
17 | Research Organization of Information and Systems | 260 | Doshisha University | 157 | National Institute for Materials Science | 423 |
18 | Yokohama National University | 225 | Okayama University | 145 | Kobe University | 420 |
19 | National Institutes for Cultural Heritage | 223 | Hiroshima University | 145 | Hiroshima University | 414 |
20 | Hitotsubashi University | 216 | Kumamoto University | 139 | Doshisha University | 350 |
Short-term researchers accepted Total | 21,872 | Mid-to long-term researchers accepted Total | 15,194 | Accepted researchers Overall Total | 37,066 |
Chart 2 : Main universities and research organizations with the highest number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad
Short Term | Mid-to Long-Term | Total Number (including short term and mid-to long-term) |
||||
Organization | Number of researchers | Organization | Number of researchers | Organization | Number of researchers | |
1 | The University of Tokyo | 10,199 | The University of Tokyo | 438 | The University of Tokyo | 10,637 |
2 | Kyoto University | 8,435 | Kyoto University | 340 | Kyoto University | 8,775 |
3 | Osaka University | 6,556 | Tohoku University | 226 | Osaka University | 6,750 |
4 | Tohoku University | 5,809 | Osaka University | 194 | Tohoku University | 6,035 |
5 | Kyushu University | 3,813 | Waseda University | 179 | Kyushu University | 3,912 |
6 | Hokkaido University | 3,568 | Nagoya University | 152 | Hokkaido University | 3,706 |
7 | Nagoya University | 3,501 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | 151 | Nagoya University | 3,653 |
8 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | 3,191 | Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences | 141 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | 3,342 |
9 | Waseda University | 2,984 | Hokkaido University | 138 | Waseda University | 3,163 |
10 | University of Tsukuba | 2,862 | Keio University | 122 | University of Tsukuba | 2,930 |
11 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 2,754 | Kyushu University | 99 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 2,833 |
12 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 2,491 | Hiroshima University | 99 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 2,528 |
13 | Kobe University | 2,422 | Nihon University | 88 | Kobe University | 2,495 |
14 | Hiroshima University | 2,099 | Ritsumeikan University | 80 | Hiroshima University | 2,198 |
15 | Keio University | 2,055 | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research | 79 | Keio University | 2,177 |
16 | Chiba University | 1,757 | High Energy Accelerator Research Organization | 77 | Chiba University | 1,829 |
17 | Nihon University | 1,727 | Kobe University | 73 | Nihon University | 1,815 |
18 | Japan Atomic Energy Agency | 1,384 | Chiba University | 72 | Japan Atomic Energy Agency | 1,384 |
19 | Okayama University | 1,312 | University of Tsukuba | 68 | Ritsumeikan University | 1,380 |
20 | Ritsumeikan University | 1,300 | Kumamoto University | 58 | Kumamoto University | 1,348 |
Short-term dispatched researchers Total | 160,394 | Mid-to long-term dispatched researchers Total | 5,175 | Dispatched researchers Overall Total | 165,569 |
3. Situation on research exchange per region
1) Number of overseas researchers accepted per region
Number of overseas researchers accepted per region for FY2012 Total : Number of researchers accepted from Asia was the highest for both short-term and mid-to long-term Short-term: Number of short-term researchers accepted from Asia, Europe and North America which has been on decline from FY2009, has increase for FY2012 Mid-to long-term : Number of mid-to long-term researchers accepted from Asia, Europe and North America which once decreased in FY2011, has increased for FY2012. |
※The number of overseas researchers accepted includes both post-doctoratespostdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others from FY2010.
※Since some dispatch areas are unclear, the total number of researchers per region is not consistent with other total figures.
2) Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad per region
Number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad per region for FY2012 Total : Number of short-term researchers dispatched to Asia was the highest, followed by Europe and North America. The number of mid-to long-term researchers dispatched to Europe is the highest, followed by North America and Asia. Short-term: Number of short-term researchers dispatched is generally on the rise for Asia, Europe and North America. Mid-to long-term : Number of mid-to long-term researchers dispatched is nearly the same as FY2011. |
※Number of researchers dispatched abroad includes post-doctoratespostdoctoral fellows from FY2008, and both post-doctoratespostdoctoral fellows, research- fellows and others from FY2010.
3) List of main countries (regions) with highest number of overseas researchers accepted and Japanese researchers dispatched abroad.
Chart 3 : Main countries(Regions) with highest number of accepted overseas researchers
Short-term | Mid-to long-term | Overall Total (including both short-term and mid-to long-term) | |||||||
Country(Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | Country(Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | Country(Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | |
1 | United States of America | 3,634 | 16.6 | People's Republic of China | 3,788 | 24.9 | People's Republic of China | 6,226 | 16.8 |
2 | People's Republic of China | 2,438 | 11.1 | United States of America | 1,872 | 12.3 | United States of America | 5,506 | 14.9 |
3 | Republic of Korea | 2,352 | 10.8 | Republic of Korea | 1,576 | 10.4 | Republic of Korea | 3,928 | 10.6 |
4 | Federal Republic of Germany | 1,134 | 5.2 | United Kingdom | 731 | 4.8 | United Kingdom | 1,822 | 4.9 |
5 | United Kingdom | 1,091 | 5 | French Republic | 542 | 3.6 | Federal Republic of Germany | 1,662 | 4.5 |
6 | French Republic | 1,069 | 4.9 | Federal Republic of Germany | 528 | 3.5 | French Republic | 1,611 | 4.3 |
7 | Taiwan | 1,013 | 4.6 | India | 510 | 3.4 | Taiwan | 1,317 | 3.6 |
8 | Kingdom of Thailand | 887 | 4.1 | Kingdom of Thailand | 373 | 2.5 | Kingdom of Thailand | 1,260 | 3.4 |
9 | Republic of Indonesia | 754 | 3.4 | Canada | 362 | 2.4 | India | 1,073 | 2.9 |
10 | India | 563 | 2.6 | Australia | 306 | 2 | Republic of Indonesia | 1,057 | 2.9 |
11 | Vietnam | 488 | 2.2 | Taiwan | 304 | 2 | Canada | 809 | 2.2 |
12 | Australia | 477 | 2.2 | Republic of Indonesia | 303 | 2 | Australia | 783 | 2.1 |
13 | Russian Federation | 463 | 2.1 | Russian Federation | 274 | 1.8 | Vietnam | 753 | 2 |
14 | Canada | 447 | 2 | People's Republic of Bangladesh | 266 | 1.8 | Russian Federation | 737 | 2 |
15 | Italian Republic | 364 | 1.7 | Vietnam | 265 | 1.7 | Italian Republic | 531 | 1.4 |
16 | Malaysia | 302 | 1.4 | Arab Republic of Egypt | 178 | 1.2 | Malaysia | 402 | 1.1 |
17 | Swiss Confederation | 283 | 1.3 | Spain | 172 | 1.1 | Republic of the Philippines | 361 | 1 |
18 | Republic of Singapore | 228 | 1 | Italian Republic | 167 | 1.1 | Spain | 359 | 1 |
19 | Republic of the Philippines | 219 | 1 | Republic of the Philippines | 142 | 0.9 | Swiss Confederation | 349 | 0.9 |
20 | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 214 | 1 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 106 | 0.7 | People's Republic of Bangladesh | 347 | 0.9 |
Accepted short-term researchers Total | 21,872 | ― | Accepted mid-to-long term researchers Total | 15,194 | ― | Accepted researchers Overall Total | 37,066 |
― |
Chart 4 : Countries(Regions) with highest number of Japanese researchers dispatched abroad
Short-term | Mid-to long-term | Overall Total (short-term, mid-to long -term) | |||||||
Country (Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | Country (Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | Country (Region) | Number of researchers | Distribution ratio(%) | |
1 | United States of America | 34,433 | 21.5 | United States of America | 1,418 | 27.4 | United States of America | 35,851 | 21.7 |
2 | People's Republic of China | 16,044 | 10 | United Kingdom | 502 | 9.7 | People's Republic of China | 16,280 | 9.8 |
3 | Republic of Korea | 13,944 | 8.7 | Federal Republic of Germany | 491 | 9.5 | Republic of Korea | 14,043 | 8.5 |
4 | Federal Republic of Germany | 8,578 | 5.3 | French Republic | 354 | 6.8 | Federal Republic of Germany | 9,069 | 5.5 |
5 | French Republic | 7,508 | 4.7 | People's Republic of China | 236 | 4.6 | French Republic | 7,862 | 4.7 |
6 | United Kingdom | 6,329 | 3.9 | Swiss Confederation | 198 | 3.8 | United Kingdom | 6,831 | 4.1 |
7 | Kingdom of Thailand | 6,123 | 3.8 | Canada | 155 | 3 | Kingdom of Thailand | 6,202 | 3.7 |
8 | Taiwan | 6,079 | 3.8 | Australia | 119 | 2.3 | Taiwan | 6,134 | 3.7 |
9 | Italian Republic | 4,641 | 2.9 | Italian Republic | 113 | 2.2 | Italian Republic | 4,754 | 2.9 |
10 | Australia | 3,981 | 2.5 | Republic of Korea | 99 | 1.9 | Australia | 4,100 | 2.5 |
11 | Canada | 3,290 | 2.1 | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 91 | 1.8 | Canada | 3,445 | 2.1 |
12 | Republic of Indonesia | 3,064 | 1.9 | Kingdom of Thailand | 79 | 1.5 | Republic of Indonesia | 3,123 | 1.9 |
13 | Spain | 2,837 | 1.8 | Kingdom of Sweden | 74 | 1.4 | Spain | 2,889 | 1.7 |
14 | Vietnam | 2,750 | 1.7 | Republic of Indonesia | 59 | 1.1 | Vietnam | 2,796 | 1.7 |
15 | Republic of Singapore | 2,687 | 1.7 | India | 57 | 1.1 | Republic of Singapore | 2,710 | 1.6 |
16 | Republic of Austria | 2,393 | 1.5 | Taiwan | 55 | 1.1 | Republic of Austria | 2,447 | 1.5 |
17 | Swiss Confederation | 2,237 | 1.4 | Republic of Austria | 54 | 1 | Swiss Confederation | 2,435 | 1.5 |
18 | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 2,146 | 1.3 | Spain | 52 | 1 | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 2,237 | 1.4 |
19 | India | 2,109 | 1.3 | Vietnam | 46 | 0.9 | India | 2,166 | 1.3 |
20 | Malaysia | 2,108 | 1.3 | Republic of Finland | 39 | 0.8 | Malaysia | 2,146 | 1.3 |
Short-term dispatched researchers Total | 160,394 | ― | Mid-to long-term dispatched researchers Total | 5,175 | ― | Dispatched researchers Overall total | 165,569 | ― |
[Reference]
1. Purpose of survey
The survey which clarifies the situation on the annual research exchanges between foreign countries and Japan’s educational organizations will be utilized to plan, promote, assess and inspect policies related to promoting international exchange.
2. Period of survey
April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013
3. Questionnaire and breakdown of organizations subject to survey
Questionnaire and organizations subject to survey:
- Universities and others: Questionnaire sent out to a total of 836 organizations
[National universities:86, Inter-university research institutesInter-university research institute corporations:4, National, public and private colleges of technology:57, Public universities:82, Private universities:607]
- Incorporated administrative agencies and others: Questionnaire sent out to a total of 62 organizations.
[Incorporated administrative agencies:46 (of which 16 organizations are national experiment and research institutes national research institutes)]
- Total of 898 organizations. Valid response rate for the above organizations:
- Universities and others: Response received by 788 organizations, overall valid response rate of 94.3 %.
- Incorporated administrative agencies and others: Response received by 52 organizations, overall valid response rate of 83.9 %.
- Average response rate for the above 840 organizations was 93.5 %.
4. Additional conditions of subject organizations
- “National universities and others” include inter-university research institutesinter-university research institute corporations and national junior colleges from FY1997 (provided that national junior colleges have reorganized and integrated with national universities by FY2005).
- Public and private universities have been added to the survey scope from FY1997.
- For colleges of technology, national colleges of technology have been included in the survey scope from FY2000, and public and private colleges of technology have been added from FY2010.
- Incorporated administrative agencies and others include national research institutes, and have been added to the survey scope from FY2000 (provided that government-affiliated corporations have been reformed into incorporated administrative agencies).
5. Definition of survey subject
- “Accepted researchers” are foreign researchers employed by domestic organizations (including part-time researchers) and those visiting Japan for the purpose of joint research, academic conferences, symposiums, etc.
- “Dispatched researchers” refer to an individual working full-time at a domestic organization who is dispatched abroad for the purpose of research activities including joint research, attending academic conferences, gathering research-related information and or receiving training. ・A researcher refers to a professor, associate professor, lecturer, assistant professor, postdoctoral fellowpost-doctorate, research fellow, etc., who is employed by an organization, and or a researcher who has a fixed employment contract with an organization.
- Graduate students, exchange students, office staff, technical staff, persons teaching language classes, and others in charge of a limited number of classes and who do not carry out specialized research are excluded from the survey scope.
- In relation to dispatched researchers previously excluded from the survey scope, post-doctoratesPostdoctoral fellows were added from FY2008, and both post-doctoratesPostdoctoral fellows and research fellows were added from FY2010. For accepted overseas researchers, both post-doctoratesPostdoctoral fellows, research fellows and others were added to the survey scope from FY2010.
- “Short-term” refers to a maximum period of stay of one month. “Mid-to long-term” refer to a period of stay exceeding one month.
6. Calculation method
- For a period of stay crossing over to the next fiscal year, the period of stay refers to the total scheduled period of stay, and will be included in both fiscal years.
- For researchers staying in multiple countries, all countries visited for the purpose of research are included in the response count.
- “Accepted researchers” also include those researchers already residing in Japan.
- For researchers receiving multiple sources of revenue, the individual is classified based on his/her highest source of income.
7. Survey consignee
Institute for Future Engineering (IFENG)
(Science and Technology Policy Bureau)