Jack Ma turns up in Japan as college professor

Tokyo: Jack Ma, a cofounder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a research institute run by the prestigious University of Tokyo, the university said on Monday.

Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, it said in a statement.

It said that Ma, who also heads his own Jack Ma Foundation, a philanthropic organisation, will “share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management and innovation”, with students and faculty.

Chinese regulators singled out Alibaba for scrutiny in a recent crackdown on technology and internet companies, having put the brakes on a planned initial public offering in 2020 of Alibaba’s financial affiliate Ant Group.

That came after he had criticised China’s regulators and financial systems in a speech in Shanghai. Ma kept a low profile for several years and travelled overseas before returning to China recently.

His appointment began on Monday and runs through the end of October, the university said.