Table 13 lists the areas ranked high- 

 est in the 1986 survey. On this, can- 

 cer represents four out of the top 

 five areas of concern. Earlier surveys 

 also showed strong emphases on life 

 science and health; however, in the 

 1986 survey areas related to elec- 

 tronics and computer communica- 

 tions are newly identified. The 

 research areas of major focus in- 

 volve health, industrial technology, 

 and energy. 



Trends in the funding of scientific 

 research and of research leaders' 

 views on high priority areas are con- 

 firmed by a similar pattern in gov- 

 ernment focus: biotechnoloogy, 

 information science, and energy-re- 

 lated research also represent the ma- 

 jor ERATO and AIST research 

 programs. Thus, for the next several 



years, these seem likely to be the 

 major areas of enhanced research 

 activity. At the same time, Japan 

 probably will continue to emphasize 

 other areas of current strength, such 

 as chemistry and advanced materi- 

 als. 



Structural reforms 



Another areas of prospective 

 change in Japanese S/T concerns the 

 organization of research funding and 

 performance. The government's de- 

 clining role in terms of R&D funding 

 and expenditures is likely to con- 

 tinue in response to constrained 



Table 13. Areas listed as most important in the 1986 Delphi Survey 



public spending. ^^ In addition to 

 limiting R&D funds, the Japanese 

 Government is currently promoting 

 two major reforms that aim to im- 

 prove the administration of public 

 research funds and stimulate edu- 

 cational diversity. 



Administrative reform. As a cor- 

 ollary of fiscal reform, a special ex- 

 ternal committee has been 

 established to propose various mea- 

 sures of administrative reform, such 

 as the elimination of redundant 

 agencies and improved manage- 

 ment methods. One of the principal 

 targets of this committee has been 

 the large number of research insti- 

 tutes supported by the various gov- 

 ernment ministries. While it is 

 difficult to close down established 

 institutes, a recent trend in estab- 

 lishing new ones has been to set their 

 life span for a fixed period, often be- 

 tween 6 and 10 years. Another out- 

 come has been strengthening the role 

 of STA in science policy formation 

 by increasing its support responsi- 

 bilities to the Prime Minister's 

 Council for Science and Technol- 

 ogy.52 



Educational reform. Japanese re- 

 formers wish to restructure the ed- 

 ucational system in order to foster a 

 more creative and international cit- 

 izenry. The major focus in this ini- 

 tiative is to alleviate the problems 

 associated with extreme educational 

 competition, among which is the ex- 

 cessive homogeneity in the upbring- 

 ing of young people, all of whom 

 strive to enter the same universities. 

 By restructuring the educational 

 system, it is hoped that more young 



NOTE Adapted Irom translation provided by the Tokyo Office of the U S National Science Foundation 

 SOURCE Government ot Japan, Science and Tecnnology Agency, September 1987 



''In reaction to the heavy deficits incurred by the 

 large-scale public construcHon programs of the sev- 

 enties, the Japanese Government has been pursuing 

 a strict deficit reduction policy for the past few years. 

 S/T funding has, however, increased very modestly 

 (about 3 percent a year) and has tended to do better 

 than many other government programs. 



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

 ence Foundation, Reorganization of japan's Science and 

 Technology Agency, Report Memorandum #85, Oc- 

 tober 1985; and Reorganization of Science and Tech- 

 nology Agency (STA), Report Memorandum #105, 

 July 1986. 



40 



