Japanese Researchers, Students in U.S. Face Uncertain Stay as Trump Stirs Turmoil

By Keiichi Nakane / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

1:00 JST, May 18, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has refused to issue new visas for a number of foreign researchers living in the United States, and Japanese researchers are no exception.

President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting government spending for scientific research and tightening its grip on researchers in the country. The moves may also harm collaborative research between the two countries.

The National Institutes of Health, one of the world’s largest medical research institutes, has been among the hardest hit. The Trump administration is cutting about 1,200 employees at the institute and dismantling and merging research departments.

According to a group of Japanese and other researchers living in the United States, one Japanese researcher was under contract at the institute for a fixed term, but after being promoted to a permanent position in February, they were going to update their visa. However, the researcher’s new position was culled in the personnel cuts. No new visa was issued and the researcher returned to Japan.

After Trump’s inauguration, another Japanese researcher who was supposed to start working for the NIH was informed that their contract was suspended. The researcher could not procure the documents needed to receive a visa.

The NIH is conducting joint research with Japan in cutting-edge medical fields such as for cancer and infectious diseases.

“It’s possible that Japan-U.S. collaboration will taper off,” a Japanese government official said.

The Trump administration, which wants to curb illegal immigration, has tightened control of its borders. Foreign students have also been affected.

According to local media reports, the U.S. government has used AI and other means to check foreign students’ social media accounts and their criminal records, and more than 4,700 students have had their residence status revoked since January. In some cases, the government viewed students who protested against Israel’s invasion of Gaza as supporting terrorism and made arrests.

According to sources, some Japanese people have had their visas and residence status canceled for minor traffic violations that previously were not considered serious.

The Japanese Embassy in the United States has called for Japanese students in the country to inquire with their school or supporting organization about the situation and to consult a lawyer if necessary.

Japanese student Suguru Onda, 41, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that the U.S. government temporarily revoked his residential status.

Onda has been studying information science in a doctoral course at Brigham Young University in Utah since 2019. On April 8, he received a notice from the U.S. government that said his residence status was being revoked because he had a criminal record.

“My mind went blank. I had no idea what they were talking about,” he said.

He would have to apply for a new visa in Japan to continue his research in the United States. He consulted a lawyer, and 10 days after he received the notice, he sued the U.S. government, seeking to resolve the problem. Soon the U.S. government contacted him and said that his status was restored.

“My family living in the United States was also very anxious. We have yet to receive any clear explanation,” he said.