World News

2021年04月28日

+STI Policy News from Japan - April 2021

SciREX Center

This page is for STI policy news from Japan for April 2021 picked up by the SciREX Center. News from other countries is being collected by the Center for R&D Strategies (CRDS) and to be posted here later.

JAPAN: Cabinet Office
Yen 4-trillion Initial Fund for World-class Research Base
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/tyousakai/sekai/2kai/sanko2.pdf
An initial Yen 4 trillion fund (target Yen 10 trillion) for "world-class research universities" is established at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) in JFY2021. It is actually Yen 4.5 trillion with Yen 4 trillion from the 2021 government fiscal investment and loans program and Yen 0.5 trillion from the government's 2020 supplemental budget. A committee for world-class research university (tentative name) and a working group for operating the fund were established within the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (CSTI). CSTI will take JFY2021 as a preparatory period for setting up a system for operating the fund, expecting full operation of the fund in JFY2022-2023.

JAPAN: Education and S&T Ministry (MEXT)
Yen 2.3 billion for Fellowship
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20201225-mxt_kiban03-000011633_1.pdf
A "university fellowship program" will be established with Yen 2.3 billion to improve the decreasing number of Ph.D. students in Japan. It is to help the Ph.D. students with fellowship and other career-path supports.

JAPAN: Cabinet Office and Education and S&T Ministry (MEXT)
Think Tank for Safe and Secure S&T Information
https://www.cao.go.jp/minister/2009_s_inoue/photo/2021_004.html
https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/gijyutu/gijyutu2/suishin/attach/1333398.htm
To share the global concern of securing S&T information from various threats from outside, Japan will establish a think tank within the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to deal with this issue after April 2021. Details are being worked out.

JAPAN: Science Council of Japan (SCJ)
SCJ's Role
http://www.scj.go.jp/ja/member/iinkai/kanji/pdf25/siryo310-s-soan.pdf
The Science Council of Japan (SCJ) (Government entity) has drafted "SCJ's Role in the Future." It focuses on strengthening of (1) international activities, (2) comments by SCJ and scientific advice, (3) information dissemination through dialogue, (4) transparency in selecting its members, and (5) secretariat function. The draft was prepared for discussions to respond to the Central Government's inquiry to SCJ to review the function of the organization, when SCJ asked the Central Government the reason why a few of the SCJ-selected new members were not approved by the Government (refer to this Science article).