Ma Yun to Advise on Research and Give Lectures on Management and Entrepreneurship
On May 1, the University of Tokyo announced that Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, has been appointed as a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a recently founded institute affiliated with the University of Tokyo.
Ma’s term will end in October, with the contract renewable yearly. Ma will advise on important research topics, give lectures on management and entrepreneurship, and conduct joint research and projects with researchers at the university, particularly in sustainable agriculture and food production.
After over a year of overseas life, Ma Yun returned to China in March. Since criticizing the CCP’s financial supervision in 2020, Alibaba has been suppressed by the Chinese government. Despite this, wealthy Chinese have been finding it difficult to live in China, leading them to seek refuge in Japan. According to sources, Ma Yun spent much time in Japan while away from China, visiting hot springs and ski resorts outside Tokyo and frequenting private members’ clubs.
Ma Yun’s appointment at Tokyo College marks the third stage of his job transition, which commentator Li Linyi sees as the process of being suppressed by the CCP. Chinese businesses are still under party control, and state ideology can still crack down on them. Ma Yun was also appointed as an honorary Last April, and he was appointed as a professor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Hong Kong.