WHAT JAPAN IS DOING. 
What Japan is Doing: Her Encouragement of Science. 
The idea long cherished by some of the scientific men in Japan of establishing 
a National Institute of Scientific Research has, in part at least, been realized—in 
part, first, because the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, which came 
into existence as a legal body in March, 1917, does not, as its name implies, cover 
the whole field of science; and, secondly, because the fund now being raised in 
its support is not quite sufficient to place the Institute upon such a financial 
basis as was at first contemplated. Nevertheless, it promises a fair start, and, 
with wise administration and a judicious choice of the staff, it is hoped that the 
Institute may do some useful work for the progress of science and industry. 
The outbreak of the great war in 1914, which at once cut off the import, mainly 
from Germany, of dye-stuffs, drugs, and other products of daily necessity, and at 
one time almost gave rise to a panic in business, was responsible for producing 
a profound change in the mental attitude of the Government officials, the business 
men, and, in fact, the whole nation towards science. Those who had in vain been 
preaching the supreme importance of cultivating science with all activity, and 
pleading for public support, now saw at once that the right opportunity presented 
itself, and lost no time in drawing up a definite plan for an Institute of Physical 
and Chemical Research—a plan which, though not ideal, was deemed to be 
practicable and to meet the most urgent need. ‘This, fortunately, obtained the 
cordial support of some of the most influential and public-spirited of the business 
men, particularly of Baron Shibusawa, and afterwards also of the Government, of 
which Count Okuma was at the time Premier. 
According to the plan, which was ultimately adopted, a fund of 5,000,000 yen 
(£500,000) was to be raised by public subscription. Of this sum just about 
one-half has already been promised, and is being paid in, almost wholly by those 
who have either commercial or industrial concerns in Tokyo and Yokohama. The 
other half is, with good reason, expected to be contributed within a few years by 
those in Osaka, Kobe, and other large and wealthy cities in the south-western 
districts. The plan also included an application for a Government subvention, 
and, in accordance with the Bill passed by the Diet in its 1915-16 session, the 
Government is giving the Institute a subvention of 2,000,000 yen (£200,000) ‘n 
ten years, whilst H.M. the Emperor has made a gift of 1,000,000 yen (£100,600) 
for promoting the object of the Institute. The total fund, supposing that 
the public subscription comes up to the expected sum, would thus amount to 
8,000,000 yen (£800,000), of which about 2,500,000 yen has to be invested in land, 
buildings, and equipment. But since the interest accruing from the funds is 
calculated to exceed the annual expenditure for the first six or seven, or even 
more, years, when the activity of the Institute cannot of necessity be very great, 
it is expected that at the end of ten years there will be left over a fund of about 
6,000,000 yen (£600,000), which, calculated at 5 per cent. interest, would yield 
an annual income of 300,000 yen (£30,000). To this extent, therefore, the 
Institute would be self-supporting, and it is roughly estimated on this basis that 
the number of staffs of all grades and of mechanics, laboratory boys, &¢., would 
be between 100 and 120 in all. But it is evident that the Institute must grow in 
both size and activity, and that, therefore, the above income would soon be found 
to be inadequate to meet the necessary expenses demanded by this growth. As 
the Institute grows in activity, however, its importance will be made more and 
more evident, and it is believed that there would then be no great difficulty in 
obtaining more money. 
Passing from the financial aspect of the Institute to its organization and work, - 
it may be mentioned that its administration is intrusted to a board of managers, 
of whom one is a general director and another a vice-director. The scientific 
work of the Institute is carried on in the two departments of physics and 
chemistry, each of which has a departmental director and a number of staffs, 
graded as fellows, associate fellows, and assistants. The departmental directors, 
who are also fellows, superintend the research work in their own departments, but 
each fellow is expected to undertake researches on his own account, either by 
himself or in collaboration with other fellows, associate fellows, or assistants. 
Some of the associate fellows may also carry on independent work. A greater 
number of the researches would then be of an individual character, but there 
would also be several cases in which certain problems selected by the Institute 
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