people will feel free to develop spe- 

 cialized talents and a greater crea- 

 tivity. The reformers also urge for 

 the breakdown of barriers between 

 educational and other institutions.^^ 



If carried out, these reforms will 

 have a profound effect on future 

 patterns in the funding and conduct 

 of Japanese R&D. The declining level 

 of government support means that 

 resources provided by other sec- 

 tors — especially industry — would 

 have to be more widely dispersed if 

 Japan's research resources are to be 

 fully utilized. If the educational re- 

 forms are successful, the Japanese 

 can encourage more flexibOity and 

 creativity in their educational sys- 

 tem and, in turn, foster greater re- 

 search creativity for Japan's future 

 S/T needs. 



University-industry-government 

 cooperation. While Japan's univer- 

 sities now have some of the best re- 

 searchers and some of the most 

 advanced equipment available, they 

 are relatively short of research funds 

 and, until recently, academic sci- 

 entists have been restricted in their 

 use of research funds from industry. 

 As Japan promotes fundamental re- 

 search, it will be necessary to draw 

 on the universities for joint projects 

 with industry. There already have 

 been some important initiatives along 

 these lines. A number of adminis- 

 trative reforms by Monbusho now 

 makes industry-university coopera- 

 tion easier; further, it is anticipated 

 that a variety of new arrangements 

 will emerge to promote university- 

 government research.^ 



''For a more detailed discussion of proposed ed- 

 ucational reforms, see U.S. Department of Educa- 

 tion, Japanese Education Today (Washington, D.C.: 

 Supt. of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of- 

 fice, January 1987). 



■^See the Tokyo Office of the U.S. National Sci- 

 ence Foundation, Unwersity-Industry Cooperation in 

 Japan: New Policy Gives Universities More Flexibility 

 with Funds from Industry, Report Memorandum #64, 

 January 1985; and Current Programs to Support Uni- 

 versity! Industry Cooperation in japan. Report Memo- 

 randum #69, March 1985. Also see Masahiro Nishio, 

 Collaboration Between University and Industry — Japa- 

 nese Case, the Second Seminar on Japanese-German- 

 Swedish Cross-Country Studies on Structure and 

 FuncHon of Basic Technology Research, unpub- 

 lished paper. 



Additionally, during the late sev- 

 enties one of the most impressive 

 developments in Japan was the fos- 

 tering of new arrangements in which 

 government and business joined in 

 research projects. MITI's effort to 

 develop future technologies in semi- 

 conductors and fifth generation 

 computers is the most noted exam- 

 ple, and similar new government 

 programs aimed at basic research are 

 likely to plant the seeds for future 

 industrial commercialization. 



Most government-initiated re- 

 forms of the Japanese S/T structure 

 are designed to leverage the R&D 

 funds of the three major R&D per- 

 formers. The decreasing contribu- 

 tion of government funds, combined 

 with an identifiable need for more — 

 and often more expensive — basic 

 research has highlighted the neces- 

 sity for greater collaborative re- 

 search and access to resources among 

 the government, industry, and 

 higher education sectors. Many re- 

 cent and imminent reforms have 

 been aimed at removing the legal 

 obstacles inhibiting the joint use of 

 tinancial, human, and laboratory re- 

 sources to enhance the research po- 

 tential of R&D expenditures, 

 regardless of source. 



internationalism 



The third dominant theme in Jap- 

 anese S/T policy is a concern with 

 increased participation in interna- 

 tional scientific activities and in- 

 creased openness to foreign 

 participation in Japanese science. 

 Most of Japan's recent policy state- 

 ments acknowledge the country's 

 access to and use of Western science 

 and technology during the first cen- 

 tury of Japan's modernization. 

 Looking to the future, Japan's lead- 

 ers wish to reciprocate. Moreover, 

 they hope that increased generosity 

 on Japan's part will enable Japanese 

 researchers to maintain and en- 

 hance the quality of their profes- 



sional contact with Western 

 colleagues. 



Over the past few years, the level 

 of Japanese funding for scientific and 

 educational exchanges has in- 

 creased rapidly, and several new 

 programs have been initiated spe- 

 cifically for foreign scientists. Many 

 of the government's new research 

 programs, including ERATO and the 

 Frontier Research Program, also 

 make specific provision for the par- 

 ticipation of foreign researchers. Most 

 recently, the job classifications of civil 

 servants have been revised; this now 

 makes it possible for foreign schol- 

 ars to hold research and teaching 

 positions in Japanese universities and 

 in government laboratories. Finally, 

 many major Japanese corporations 

 have expressed a willingness to re- 

 ceive American researchers in their 

 laboratories.^^ 



The Japanese are also trying to 

 make their S/T literature more ac- 

 cessible to other nations. The Japan 

 Information Center of Science and 

 Technology is establishing an Eng- 

 lish-language data base of research 

 reports issued by government agen- 

 cies and research institutes; this data 

 base will be integrated into the in- 

 ternational Science and Technology 

 Information Network. ^^ These ef- 

 forts derive from both Japan's as- 

 sessment of its needs and 

 responsibilities as well as from a cer- 

 tain amount of pressure by other in- 

 dustrialized nations. 



"See the Tokyo Office of the U.S. National Sci- 

 ence Foundation, Directory of Japanese Company Lab- 

 oratories Willing to Receive American Researchers, Report 

 Memorandum #92, January 1986. 



^"A comprehensive lishng of English-language re- 

 sources on Japanese science, technology, and en- 

 ginering literature may be found in U.S. Department 

 of Commerce, National Technical Information Serv- 

 ice, Directory of Japanese Technical Resources 1987. The 

 directory may be obtained from the National Tech- 

 nical Information Service, Office of International Af- 

 fairs, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, 

 Va. 22161; phone number (703) 487-4819. 



41 



