c. International Exchange in the Field o.f Science

For more than ten years after the Manchurian Incident, Japan was isolated from international society and Japanese academic circles were unable to keep pace with developments in the rest of the world. However, with the return of peace, international intercourse again became possible. Japan's return to international scientific society was marked by the entrance of the Science Council of Japan into the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in 1949. The ICSU serves as a central body in the field of science through which scientific unions organized according to professional fields coordinate their activities. This step has facilitated the renewed participation of Japanese academic circles in international activities. Entrance into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in July, 1951, opened the way for Japanese science to join in additional international cooperative projects. Since then, Japanese scientific organizations have joined various international professional organizations, including the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (ICPHS) (Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines) and the International Academic Union (Union Acadimique Internationale).

Japan became particularly active in international scientific cooperative efforts during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) which extended between July, 1957, and December,1958, and during its participation in the joint observation of the Antarctic region which started in 1956. Since that time based on the invitation of the International Council of Scientific Unions Japan has joined many such joint projects, including the Upper Mantle Project (UMP), the Intentional Quiet Sun Year(IQSY), the International Biological Project (IBP), the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP), and the International Active Sun Year (IASY). Participation in UNESCO sponsored activities has included the International Indian Ocean Experiment (DICED, the International Hydrological Decade (IHD), the Cooperative Study of the Kuroshio and Adjacent Regions (CSK), and the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).

On a bilateral basis, American and Japanese scientists have cooperated on a number of projects sponsored by the Japan -United States Committee on Scientific Cooperation. Conferences related to these studies have been held periodically under the auspices of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science on the Japanese side and the National Science Foundation(NSF) in the United States.

The rapid development of science, in combination with the ease of travel afforded by modern transportation, has led to a steady growth in the number of international scientific councils and conferences held around the world each year. The number of meetings held in Japan has also risen since 1953 when an international theoretical physics conference marked the first international scientific meeting to be held in Japan since the war. Scientific meetings of this kind, including conferences on a smaller scale number more than ten per year at the present time.