The more talented researchers are, the more likely they will leave Japan, resulting in a decline in the country's academic standards.

The classic case is Shuji Nakamura, investor of the blue diode, which revolutionized lighting systems around the world. His Japanese employer paid him an extra 20,000 yen (!!!) for the main patent. LOL.

He later sued for 8 million dollars, still way too low, as unfortunately the court was Japanese, and he ended up at the University of California.

If a system, ie "Japan Inc.," routinely exploits and abuses its people, then the best people will leave. Pretty simple. I guess Japan can replace them by ramping up the immigration of Indians and Chinese to work in its labs. I'm just kidding. Japan won't do that.

If a system, ie "Japan Inc.," routinely exploits and abuses its people, then the best people will leave.

Yes and no. This is offset by the fact that most Japanese people want to live in Japan.

The more talented researchers are, the more likely they will leave Japan, resulting in a decline in the country's academic standards.

Start with salary first, for the same position salary is better in other G7 country and check what are Japanese culture that need to be changed. Also it's common in Japan daily job can be really different from actual initial role.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Cheap-Japan-Low-wages-for-tech-workers-delight-foreign-companies

Yes and no. This is offset by the fact that most Japanese people want to live in Japan.

If you are in the scientific field, I think you'll find most want to be where the best access to resources and research is located, AND where you credit for your work.

@strangerland

this is offset by the fact that most Japanese people want to live in Japan.

We aren't talking about "most Japanese." We're talking about talented people in science. Ever notice the inordinate number of Japanese science Nobel laureates who live and work overseas?

We aren't talking about "most Japanese." We're talking about talented people in science.

Said people are, in case you missed it, Japanese, and as I mentioned, most Japanese want to live in Japan. Unless you can show something that shows scientists differ in this regards to the rest of Japanese people, you're just grumbling that my statement was correct.

Japan has dropped to 13th place for the number of submitted science papers for peer reviews.

The more talented researchers are, the more likely they will leave Japan,

change "researchers" to "people" and you will be correct.

resulting in a decline in the country's academic standards.

No, that would be due to the outdated "center test" based education in grade schools.

I'm still here. I don't know what that says about me but I guess not good. Many of my foreign friends moved back to the US over the years and pretty much without exception to meet them is an hour or more of why am I still here. I wonder why they need to proselytize about it.

With the weird fixation of Japanese universities, research institutes, government laboratories, etc. to only give fixed term contracts this is inevitable. Even if the researcher is talented and can bring grants, ideas, conections, etc. they are only given a temporary contract and just a vague promise that maybe in the future some tenure-track position may become available.

Looking around they will keep finding only the same postdoc positions all over the country, so by the end of their current contracts many will not have something better to aim for. Some will leave research and work for private companies (or risky ventures) but those with talent interest and means will simply go overseas and get a permanent position there. Of course foreign researchers graduating from Japanese universities will do the same in a heartbeat.

Very few people from abroad want to come to Japan to do research, and lots of researchers in Japan want to leave (even if this is only to get a stable position), there is no mystery about why talent is declining in the country.

People go to where the money is; the other most talented people are; a more dynamic environment; and where the best future prospects seem to be. It definitely ain't Japan.

They've even been caught purposely passing over successful female science applicants to universities here to men. Not a very conducive atmosphere for keeping your best.

Laughable state of affairs.

Japanese govt bending over backwards to attract foreign talent while neglecting their own.

The weakening of the Yen isn’t helping much. Salary at national universities here for a mid career associate professor is about 60k USD per year now. If you are a top researcher you could go to the US and earn several times that much.

Its a double whammy - hard to retain Japanese talent, and hard to get researchers outside Japan to come here (and the low pay is just one thing on a long list that makes it hard to compete).

Who really still cares? They will just only land there where's also already a declining scientific standard, and from there people in return come here for replacement, but also only will find that same declining standard.

Nothing new, talented people with adventurous spirit who are willing to take risks will reap the reward.

It applies to any Japanese in fact, researhers are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you can work abroad in any developing country, your salary will be higher with additional perks.