POLICIES FOR PROMOTING BIOSCIENCE IN JAPAN
HIROO IMURA
After the Second World War, Japan made a great effort to catch up the level of American and European countries in industry and technology. To achieve this goal the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho) funded National Universities to expand School of Engineering. In Major National Universities (most of research universities in Japan), School of Engineering are still the largest in the number of faculties and students with much less faculties and students in basic science. This policy was effective in developing heavy industries such as iron manufacture and shipbuilding by producing a lot of soldiers for industrial wars and contributed very much to economic growth of Japan in 1960s and 1970s. At the same time, this policy has produced also a public trend to lay great importance to heavy industries and research of engineering in Japan.
In 1980s, changes occurred in several directions. New scientific fields such as bioscience and informatics made an explosion and stimulated new industries. Some Asian countries caught up Japan in heavy industries with an advantage of low labor cost. Japan therefore came to an important turning point from manufacturing industry to intellectual business. Because of rigid structure of Japanese bureaucracy and national universities, however, changes toward new directions, that pay more attention to basic science and new technologies, have not yet been achieved.
In 1995, Japanese Congress enacted the Science and Technology Basic Act and the government publicized Basic Plan for Science and Technology in 1996. Research funds from the government have increased considerably. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) has been playing an important role in implementing the Basic Plan and started a new research aid, ÒResearch for the FutureÓ. Investment to bioscience has been gradually increasing in the ratio but still lower than that in the United States.
With support of Monbusho, we have organized a study group of basic and applied scientists to promote bioscience in Japan. We reached the following conclusions. (1) Basic biology should be promoted. (2) A new system is needed to bridge between basic bioscience and clinical medicine. (3) Graduate schools for bioscience must be expanded in size. (4) Support for young researchers, both domestic and international, should be increased. (5) Education of biology in junior high schools and high schools must be reformed and improved.
Monbusho has the Science Council that is responsible for making science policy. There is a Bioscience Division in which the priority areas in bioscience are always discussed. Through the activity of Monbusho and JSPS, bioscience in Japan would be hopefully promoted within several years.