Japanese Science and Technology Capacity

Expert Opinions and Recommendations

Anny Wong, Douglas Yeung, Silvia Montoya, Sarah Olmstead, Aviva Litovitz, Lisa Klautzer, Sarah Kups, Alison Raab Labonte

ResearchPublished Mar 15, 2010

The Japanese government places great emphasis on ensuring the country's vitality in science and technology (S&T) and remaining at the forefront of global science. It is in this spirit that Japan uses its five-year basic S&T plans, the first of which was introduced in 1996, to guide research and development (R&D) promotion. This report summarizes the views of 55 leading researchers in the United States, the European Union, Switzerland, and Russia regarding the competitiveness of Japanese research in 25 fields in the life sciences, environmental science, information and communication technology, and nanotechnology and materials science. Their responses cover several topics, including how the quality of research in Japan in these fields ranks against the world's leaders, strengths and weaknesses in the Japanese research and education system, and suggestions of approaches, models, and mechanisms to increase excellence in Japanese research in these 25 fields and in expanding Japan's S&T capacity in general.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Wong, Anny, Douglas Yeung, Silvia Montoya, Sarah Olmstead, Aviva Litovitz, Lisa Klautzer, Sarah Kups, and Alison Raab Labonte, Japanese Science and Technology Capacity: Expert Opinions and Recommendations. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2010. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR714.html.
BibTeX RIS

This research was sponsored by the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) of Japan and was conducted under the auspices of the Transportation, Space, and Technology (TST) Program within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment (ISE).

This publication is part of the RAND technical report series. RAND technical reports, products of RAND from 2003 to 2011, presented research findings on a topic limited in scope or intended for a narrow audience; discussions of the methodology employed in research; literature reviews, survey instruments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; and preliminary findings. All RAND technical reports were subject to rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.