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In recent years, and entering 1990s in particular, all countries began to take up science and technology as their key issue, and are vying with one another for promoting positive governmental policies. While this movement shows the tendency to regard science and technology as the basic tool of international competitiveness, the background of which is the shift of the whole society toward the knowledge-based society.

As shown in the Second-term Science and Technology Basic Plan, Japan is aiming to build such country as not only "the country with international economic competitiveness and sustainable growth," but also "the country contributing to the world by generating knowledge and its utilization," and "the country offering high quality of life with the piece of mind and safety." Namely, what Japan is aiming at is developing new knowledge, producing knowledge-based vitality, and creating the society of knowledge-based affluence. The essence of science and technology is nothing but the "creativity" that brings forth new things and utilizes them.

It is the system of science and technology system that supports this "creativity." As already observed, Japan's science and technology systems are in progress such as the increasing number of research papers, but we cannot help admitting that other aspects such as the industry-academic-government cooperation in technical transfers and the research environment still remain in our weakness. Also, while Japan is showing the strength in fields such as materials, nano-technologies and environment, it is weak in the advanced fields, except some special ones, such as life science and information technology. Japan is required to maintain and improve strong aspects its science and technology, and to focus its efforts on key fields as well as those weakness. To deal with these issues, the Second-term Science and Technology Basic Plan have just started, and is hoped to be steadily implemented.

Particularly when we consider elevating the standard of Japanese science and technology from the long-term perspective, and from the angle of the global evaluation, we find that human resources play an extremely important role. Fostering excellent researchers and engineers through the improved education of human resources at universities; creating appealing research environment that enables young researchers to be active in their pursuit of independent researches; and enlarging the playground of their activities under industry-academic-government cooperation - these are all vital issues. Also, a serious consideration should be given in school education to cultivating interest and volition of the people toward science and technology. In addition, it is important to upgrade the understanding of science and technology by multiple means available.

Furthermore, it is important to make an appearing research environment in Japan which attracts the world's first class researchers, where many outstanding foreign researchers gather and compete with each other. Also, it is expected for Japanese researchers to produce research achievments of high quality and appeal them worldwide.

In the future, Japan must develop the creativity of science and technology, and produce results of high quality, thereby acquiring the world's knowledge and offering contribution to the growth of the assets of humankind. In doing so, we should not only reinforce seeds-based basic researches showing originality and creativity, but also aim for science and technology based on social needs for the benefit of human society. Also, from the perspective of positive use of the acquired knowledge, it is important to make smooth the network of the industry-academia-government cooperation and the consistent flow from the R&D to the feed back of its achievement to society. From such long-ranging and international perspectives, it is expected to establish Japan based creativity of science and technology.