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1) Complexity of various domestic and international issues

Difficulty in responding to issues when science and technology are fractionalized and specialized into narrow individual fields

* Modern science and technology are becoming more and more fractionalized and specialized. Fractionalization and specialization have contributed to advances in every field of science and technology, and continued research in each field of specialization will further progress in science and technology in the future as well.

* However, many of these domestic and international issues can not be solved by limited individual fields alone. Solutions to environmental problems, for example, require concerted efforts from a wide range of scientific and technological fields, including meteorology, environmental sciences, energy, forestry, ecology, and information technology.

* According to a survey of private corporations, when recruiting mid-career employees for research positions, companies often look for people with experience in different industries ( Figure 4 ).

Figure 4 What professional and/or academic background corporations look for when recruiting mid-career researchers

* In addition, when the same survey asked corporations what they look for in a researcher, the most frequent responses were "originality and creativity", "ambition and drive", followed by "specialized knowledge and expertise in a wide range of fields" ( Figure 5 ). This is an indication of the importance of, from the human resources point of view, researchers and research advisors knowledgeable in a variety of fields and of the necessity to coordinate the efforts of people from different fields.

Figure 5 What corporations look for in researchers

Sometimes Dealing with One Problem Causes Another Problem

* Burning garbage creates dangerous dioxin fumes. Burning garbage helps reduce garbage levels, but other pollution problems result. Also, if solving these problems leads to excessive increases in cost, this becomes a barrier to correcting high structural costs.

* When we examine the relationship between nature and human beings, we see that if we only seek material wealth, the negative impact on nature will be of concern. Advances in science and technology have made human beings rich. However, it can not be denied that applications of science and technology to society have also created problems that impact human existence, such as environmental problems. This is part of the reason for the public's concern about science and technology.

* Environmental awareness is increasing among private corporations, with many companies developing systems to help preserve the environment and improve business results at the same time ( Figure 6 ).

Figure 6 Corporate awareness: Contribution to society and the public

* Appropriate responses to these types of "trade-off" issues are not possible without a full understanding of the problems, and this is not possible if researchers look at problems from the point of view of one limited field of study.

Difficulty in Responding from the Perspective of Science and Technology Alone

* The functions of advanced information technology society are the result of a combination of various efforts such as information technology research and development, establishment of telecommunications basic infrastructure, promotion of the information technology business, and international cooperation and coordination. The same is true with regard to realizing a community with an active aging population.

* The issue of using cloning technology to manufacture human individuals has enormous ethical connotations for questions of human dignity. Bioethical issues must be debated not only from the point of view of cloning technology, one single field of science and technology, but from various perspectives including ethics, religion, and law.

* Because of the speed of advances in science and technology, technology is now applied to a rapidly expanding range of fields. It is important to consider these applications from the regulatory perspective, for example, and from other perspectives besides that of science and technology.

* There is a close relationship between response from fields other than science and technology and response from science and technology, and we must be aware of this fact and continue to build cooperation.

2) What's Happening in the World Today

Trends in Selected Countries' Policies with Regard to Science and Technology

* Selected countries in Europe and North America advance policies for science and technology in which importance is placed on competitiveness and employment security. While maintaining a high standard of basic research, the objective of their policies is to build upon the foundation of this basic research in order to strengthen competitiveness. These countries are also continuing to increase efforts to respond to the needs of the people as well as to global issues and human issues such as global environmental problems.

* The countries of Asia place emphasis on economic growth and development. Central to their policies regarding science and technology is the belief that science and technology contribute to economic development.

Compatibility Between Competition and Cooperation

* At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto, and it was once again clear that effective solutions for global environmental problems can not be achieved without efforts at the global level. In addition, international cooperation is necessary for large-scale institutions and systems as well as for research development projects which require researchers and technical specialists from a wide range of fields and disciplines.

* With regard to trends in selected countries in Europe and North America and in countries throughout Asia, Japan is required to constantly strike a balance between competition as globalization continues and cooperation in global-scale projects and institutions. Japan must continue to support endeavors that have a worldwide scope. This is the direction the Japanese people expect the country to take as well.

* From now on, rather than approach various domestic and international issues from the narrow perspective of individual disciplines, the entire research community must:

Moreover, an approach that considers the future conditions of these various issues is necessary now.

To summarize these ideas, researchers must adopt an " Extensive and Overlooking Perspective ", they must "look" and examine various domestic and international issues in this era of change, and they must strive to resolve these issues.

* Concern over fractionalization of science and technology also shows that the public wants researchers to approach these issues with an extensive and overlooking perspective as well.