Chinese business magnate Jack Ma has joined Japan's Tokyo College as a visiting professor, the University of Tokyo said on Monday. He will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, and his period of stay in the country is from May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023.
Ma, a co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, returned to China recently after laying low for months following run-ins with Chinese regulators.
The university said that Ma will "share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management and innovation", with students and faculty. He will also advice and support the major research topics of Tokyo College.
Till 2020, Ma was China's richest person with a net worth of $38.8 billion. However, he lost the title the next year after his empire came under heavy scrutiny by the Chinese regulators. Ma's trouble began after he blasted China's regulatory system, saying curbs in the country were stifling innovation and urged Beijing to seek a system that accommodated development. This set off a chain of events and the regulators soon suspended his Ant Group’s $37 billion IPO just days before the fintech giant's public listing.
Following this, Ma kept a low profile for several years and travelled overseas before returning to China in March. He will now be teaching at Tokyo College for the next few months till October.
Founded in 2019, Tokyo College connects the University of Tokyo with researchers and institutions abroad, including College de France. Its research focuses on themes such as the digital revolution.
Maa is well known in Japan as a friend of Masayoshi Son, the founder and chief executive of SoftBank Group Corp. He founded the e-commerce firm Alibaba in the 1990s and was once China's richest man. His sharp rise, some said, was in contrast with President Xi Jinping's idea of a welfare state and total control over the country.
However, the Chinese regulators' move against him had shaken the trust of private players, who feared action if they grew too fast and too large. China lately softened its stance as seeks to revive economic growth. Ma's return to China offered support for the government's softening tone toward the private sector.
China's new premier, Li Qiang, a close ally of President Xi Jinping, had recognised Ma's return to the mainland could help boost business confidence among entrepreneurs and since late last year had begun asking Ma to return, Reuters said in a report in March.