A research centre administered by the famous University of Tokyo, Tokyo College will host Jack Ma, a cofounder of the Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group, as a visiting lecturer, the university said on Monday.
According to a release, Ma will do research on sustainable food production and agriculture.
Ma, who also serves as the executive director of his own charitable organisation, the Jack Ma Foundation, will “share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management, and innovation,” according to the statement.
In a recent assault on technology and internet firms, Chinese officials singled out Alibaba for examination after delaying the planned IPO of Ant Group, Alibaba's financial subsidiary, scheduled for 2020.
He has previously blasted China's banking institutions and regulators in a speech in Shanghai. Ma went abroad and maintained a low profile for many years until recently coming back to China.
According to the institution, his position started on Monday and will last through the end of October.
Tokyo College, which was established in 2019, links the University of Tokyo with researchers and organisations in other countries, such as College de France.
Its study focuses on issues including the worth of life, the digital revolution, how Japan is seen from the inside and the outside, and the humanities in 2050.
Ma, who was previously China's wealthiest man, launched the e-commerce company Alibaba in the 1990s.
His friendship with Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., is widely known in Japan.
