TOKYO (Reuters) – Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has been invited to be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a new organization run by the University of Tokyo, the university said on Monday.

The appointment term for China’s best-known entrepreneur finishes at the end of October, but the contract is renewable on an annual basis, the university said.

At the college, Ma will be engaged in areas including advising on important research themes and giving lectures on management and business start-ups.

The announcement came after Ma returned to China in March, ending a stay overseas of more than a year that industry viewed as reflecting the sober mood of the country’s private businesses after a tough two-year regulatory crackdown.

The Tokyo College was founded in 2019 to serve as an interface between the University of Tokyo and overseas researchers and research institutions.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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