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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

Scientific research is based upon the search for truth, a fundamental intellectual need of humankind and encompasses a wide range of activities for intellectual creation in all fields of study within the humanities, social science and natural science. Applying the results of scientific research through technology, forms a foundation for the development of society and plays a role in the support and enrichment of daily life activities. There has been a remarkable development in the circumstances surrounding science and the importance of scientific research has come to be well recognized. However a deterioration in the research environment of universities which are central to scientific research has been pointed out.

In order to cope with this situation and in order to promote scientific research the Ministry with reference to a July 1992 report from the Science Council entitled "Strategies for Comprehensive Promotion of Scientific Research with the Prospect of the 21st Century," which comprehensively laid down fundamental concepts and policy directions for promoting scientific research. The Ministry is actively promoting policies giving priority to the following four points:

First, improving the scientific research environment throughincreasing research funding and prioritization of allocation, promoting the diversification of sources of research funding and upgrading facilities and equipment.

Second, promoting the training and securing of researchers through qualitative and quantitative improvements of graduate schools, upgrading and enriching fellowship systems, further promotion of researcher mobility and other measures.

Third, priority promotion of scientific research through improving joint-research systems, formation of networks for promoting coordinated cooperative research, developing centers of excellence and other measures.

Fourth, contributing to international scientific research through support for international exchange of scholars and researchers, and joint international research