Since February this year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been discussing future industrial science technology policies for the implementation of the “New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies)” through the Industrial Science Technology Policy Committee and its Fundamental Issues Subcommittee (Committee Chair: Tsutomu Kimura, Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). The results of discussions were compiled into a report and published.

1. Background

The "New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies)," approved by the Cabinet at the end of 2009, stipulates that Japan should generate new demand by strategically promoting "green innovation" and "life innovation," while opening up new frontiers of industry with innovations by using science and technology as a platform to support growth. In the mean time, the Council for Science and Technology Policy initiated discussions for the formulation of the Fourth Science and Technology Basic Plan (for five years from FY 2011) in October 2009.

Following these developments, the Industrial Science Technology Policy Committee and its Fundamental Issues Subcommittee (both under the Industrial Structure Council) have been discussing future industrial science technology policies since February this year and compiled the results into a report.

2. Outline of the report

The report proposes “a nation that links technology to value” as the goal in 2020, based on the idea of disseminating R&D results across society in order to derive problem-solving capability as a source of value. The report also proposes specific policies, including the following:
- Promote new R&D projects directly leading to problem solving (R&D in coordination with activities to disseminate their results, such as demonstration of technologies and international standardization).
- Establish institutions to bring together industry, academia, and government and make them operate as graduate schools.
- Establish systems to evaluate and certify new technologies.
- Strategically advance international standardization and foster collaboration with Asia.
- Encourage industry and academia to jointly develop practical human resources.

Release Date

May 26, 2010

Division in Charge

Industrial Science and Technology Policy Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau

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