Funding crisis hits Japanese language teaching at Helsinki University

Faced with a decline in governmental funding, the University of Helsinki has chosen to dismiss its professor in Japanese language teaching.

Arto Mustajoki, dean of the Faculty of Arts of the university, told Xinhua recently that the actual professorship has not been deleted, albeit the incumbent professor will no longer be employed and the position remains vacant.

The professor position for Japanese language was created some 20 years ago with partial financial assistance from Japan. Mustajoki said the university has informed the Japanese Embassy in Helsinki of the situation.

Last year the Finnish government announced extensive cuts in the funding of universities, to be implemented on a tight schedule. The University of Helsinki has lost 50 million euros in the funding for 2016 and the sum will increase annually, reaching an estimated 100 million by 2020.

Cutbacks in governmental funding to universities has caused major protests by students and staff during the past winter. (1 euro = 1.14 U.S. dollars)