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

Mankind has steadily developed since its creation, especially in the second half of the 20th century, when human activities in all aspects have dramatically developed, including a rapid increase in population.

While science and technology has made a great contribution to the development of human activities in the 20th century, such a science and technology civilization has accompanied the mass production, mass consumption and mass disposal of goods, and generated fears of environmental destruction of the irreplaceable earth and the depletion of resources. We are therefore being called upon to utilize the knowledge obtained from science and technology to create a path on which we can live in harmony with the earth.

In recent years, with the advanced information and communication society close at hand, society is being provided with huge quantities of knowledge and information related to life, without a doubt in the 21st century, the knowledge and information generated by science and technology will be a greater key to the development of society than was the case in the 20th century.

However, taking into account the fact that the science and technology society of today has not carried out adequate preparations for such a shakeup, we will investigate the blueprint for the relationship between society and science and technology, which should be developed, by looking back on the 20th century, and looking forward to the 21st century.