During the lost-30-years, Japan’s innovation system has gradually deteriorated, and Japan is the only major country to continue to stagnate in terms of innovation, economic development, and R&D. Japanese companies still continue to invest huge amounts of money in R&D, but this does not translate into sales, profits, employment, wages, etc. Regarding R&D in Japanese academia, the aging of researchers, the decrease in the number of doctoral students, and the imbalance in research funding allocation may have a negative impact on the production of research papers. In addition, the increase in competitive funding and external funding may lead to problems such as research themes being oriented toward applied research or short-term results, and preemption of university research results by large corporations.

This paper examines the current status and challenges faced by Japanese graduate schools, especially Ph.D. programs, in fostering doctoral talent and their future prospects. Japan’s growth in terms of graduate schools and Ph.D. graduates has not transformed into enough employment opportunities for Ph.D. holders, resulting in a challenging scenario for them. In this article, while analyzing data concerning the enrollment of students in PhD programs and the current state of PhD degree acquisition, we explore the institutional factors that have brought about the imbalance in the doctoral labor market, elucidate the reasons why doctoral talent is not being utilized by companies, offer insights into potential career paths for doctoral personnel, and underscore the importance of doctoral talent in the humanities and social sciences fields.

In this paper, I examine the issues currently faced by doctoral graduates in Japan in forming their careers, as well as what kind of support will be necessary going forward, based on the results of NISTEP’s JD-Pro Survey. Since 2000, major countries have seen an increase in doctoral degree holders, leading to an increase in fixed-term employment in academia, and the problem of “Research Precariat” has become apparent. Although the number of doctoral degrees conferred is decreasing in Japan, similar trends can be seen in humanities field. It has become clear that career paths for doctoral graduates vary greatly by field, so going forward it is expected that support programs tailored to the characteristics of each field will be necessary.

Since the emergence of a new highly specialized professional called University Research Administrator (URA) in research institutions such as universities in Japan, they have been fulfilling roles in organizational management and planning support, promoting researchers’ activities, and coordinating industry-academia collaborations. URAs have evolved into professionals who leverage their academic expertise, specialized experiences, and skills as researchers to address various tasks, including integrating academic knowledge, enhancing research environments, and fostering the next generation of researchers. They are capable of proposing and verifying evidence-based policies and theories. As key figures, they are expected to play a crucial role in solving complex societal issues and fostering innovation.

The author delves into the roles university administrators play, with a particular focus on research support, as well as their career trajectories and professional development. The realm of research support undertaken by university administrators extends well beyond the fundamental tasks of URAs. To effectively manage these responsibilities, administrators must possess a diverse set of expertise and a comprehensive understanding of the research process and its associated activities. The article further categorizes university administrators into administrative and academic staff, exploring the skills each group garners throughout their careers and the competencies they should acquire through developmental programs.