Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Annual Report on the Promotion of Science and Technology 2000 > Part1 Chapter3 Conclusion

Since mankind first picked up stones and wood, mankind has expanded their limited capability and controlled the world by inventing many tools and becoming skilled in their use with strong power. In the 20th century in particular, mankind has created many tools with science and technology as a driving force, and achieved unprecedented development.

However, with these tools that we have created by ourselves, we have gone too far as exhibiting overabundant power to hurt even our mother earth. Looking back on this state of mankind in the 20th century, mankind in the 21st century must create and use tools with the wisdom of coexisting with the earth.

At the end of the 20th century, mankind is entering the areas of intelligence and life more deeply than ever before and becomes to get skills to handle and extend that intelligence. For new development of mankind, this skill must definitely be used effectively. In order to ensure, however, that this time the earth and ourselves are not hurt, and to enable all mankind enjoy its benefits, we must have a universal knowledge to use that skill cleverly.

Mankind is at the gateway to the 21st century. Time continues to pass, and changes do not occur so that today and tomorrow seem to be completely different worlds. There are therefore some initiatives in Part 1 that have already started, and there are some that will absolutely not start even in the 21st century. Looking back with hindsight, however, in the process of accumulating continuous change, the changeover point for eras will become evident. Looking at time stream in a large sense, most people must agree the opinion that the development in the 21st century is not a mere extension of that in the 21st century. This suggests that sometime around the end of the 20th century or the beginning of the 21st century the changeover point for eras is buried. It is not appropriate to strictly decide that 2001 is the changeover year. The duty assigned to mankind is to continue to change steadily, taking into account the past, present and future appropriately. Part 1 looked back at the 20th century and looked out over the 21st century from that perspective. We hope that the direction of science and technology activities in the 21st century changes appropriately, looking back on past experience and looking forward to the future appropriately, and that they contribute to the eternal happiness and development of mankind.