Japanese Media: China's R&D Investment Exceeds That of the U.S., Ranking First Globally!
A recent study released by Japan reveals that China has surpassed the United States to become the world’s leading country in terms of research and development investment by businesses and universities.
According to the "Japan Science and Technology Indicators 2026" published recently by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy, China's total R&D investment is projected to reach 9.71 trillion yen in 2024, a 13.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In contrast, the United States' total R&D investment for 2024 is expected to be 9.53 trillion yen, rising only 6.7% from the same period in 2023.
Japan's investment amounts to 2.21 trillion yen, an 8.4% increase from the same period in 2023, followed by Germany (1.83 trillion yen) and South Korea (1.53 trillion yen).
The report evaluates major countries using approximately 160 indicators across five categories, including R&D investment and the number of researchers. Data in the 2026 edition covers up to 2024.
China surpassed the United States in the number of scientific papers published in 2017, ranked first in the top 10% of most-cited papers in 2018, and has maintained leadership over the U.S. in the top 1% of most-cited papers since 2019.
As reported by Nikkei Asia, "China has firmly established its status as a world-class power in scientific research," adding that "the rapid growth in corporate investment deserves particular attention."
In 2024, Chinese enterprises’ R&D investment reached 7.54 trillion yen, with especially strong growth observed in the manufacturing sectors of computers, electronics, and optical products.
Nikkei Asia analyzed: "Since the United States began restricting exports of advanced semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment for supercomputers and artificial intelligence starting in 2022, China has accelerated domestic R&D investment and worked diligently to secure the safety of core technologies."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875945007523840/
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