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For dealing with new R&D, database plays an important role enabling us to obtain research information promptly and easily.

In our country at present, relevant institutes are providing database on diverse information of science and technology. Such database include the JOIS which collects, processes and provides promptly and comprehensively the information of science and technology, at home and abroad, The STN International (The Scientific and Technical information network), organized by three information institutes of the U.S., Germany and Japan.

Regarding the network for the communication of research information, Japan has an Inter-Ministry Research Information Network (IMnet) for researches and research support for national and public testing and research institutes, Special Public Corporations, etc., as well as a Science Information Network (SINET), which connects national, public and private universities across the country. Structuring the infrastructure for the speedy use of massive information is under way in collaboration with these networks.

Furthermore, together with the promotion of a plan, Super SINET, to structure a research network of the world's highest speed (10 Gbps), coupled with sharing, on high-speed network, of high-efficient computer database that are dispersed in the country, we are challenging the issue of structuring the ITBL, virtual research environment, in a bid to realize the research environment of high-efficiency.

Along with the progress of sophistication and complexity in many fields of the most advance science and technology, such as life function analysis, aircraft design, material design, air quality forecast, disaster prevention science and technology, the supercomputers of sophisticated computing power are becoming increasingly indispensable for R&D.

In Japan, we have the computer for Molecular Dynamics Machine (MDM) developed by the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, and the gravitational computer (GRAPE-6) developed by University of Tokyo. For the world's highest effective speed of these computers, the Gordon Bell Award was given in November 2000 which is given to the computers of the world' highest speed. That demonstrated Japan's technical potential in the purpose-specific computers.

Also as for the general-purpose computers, Japan has developed the "Earth Simulator" which makes it possible to reproduce complex phenomena of the global scale truly on the computer. This is expected to improve simulation performance as much as about 1,000 times the conventional one.