After DeepSeek and Kimi went viral one after another, an increasing number of "reflective voices" have emerged online in Japan. Some Japanese scholars openly stated that Chinese AI teams are generally composed of people in their twenties or early thirties, and the average age of the J-35A fighter jet development team is also around 30—Japan now finds it difficult to catch up.
Some Japanese netizens analyzed that China's ability to rapidly cultivate a large number of young technical talents stems not only from universities but from accelerating math, Chinese character, and science and engineering education as early as elementary school, combined with key schools, the national college entrance examination (Gaokao) selection system, overseas study opportunities, and concentrated state investment, forming a comprehensive talent cultivation system.
He also believes that what Japan truly lacks is not assigning more homework to all students, but rather mechanisms to identify geniuses, nurture them, and dare to entrust young people with major responsibilities. If seniority-based hierarchies continue to dominate, it will be hard for young talents to stand out.
In the past, discussions about China focused mainly on manufacturing, infrastructure, and e-commerce; today, the most frequent topics are AI and talent. As more and more Japanese people begin reflecting on why China can produce teams like DeepSeek and Kimi, it indicates that the focus of competition has shifted. Japanese reflections include: Why does Japan rank 11th globally in AI, behind South Korea?
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871214376611147/
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