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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > WHITE PAPER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY2003 > Part3 3.3 3.3.6 3.3.6.3 | |
In order to reliably and effectively promote re-search,development and other related activities,it is necessary to undertake efforts such as ensuring the stable provision in quality and quantity,as well as ensuring the safety and reliability,of materials,standards,techniques,equipment,and other elements,that support fundamental activities for research and development,including experimentation,measurement,analysis,and evaluation.For this reason,it is necessary to promote organized development of an intellectual infrastructure that includes biogenetic resources and other research materials,various measurement standards,advanced tools for measurement,analysis,and experimentation and evaluation,and various data-bases.Also,the Science and Technology Basic Plan calls for improvements toward attainment of the world's highest standards by2010.
In response,the Council for Science and Technology,an advisory group to the Minister of Education,Culture,Sports,Science,and Technology,obtained the cooperation of the relevant ministries and agencies to adopt the"Intellectual Infrastructure Development Program,"which lays out specific measures for development of intellectual infrastructure by2010.The proposed program was presented to the Minister in August2001.The state of progress of the intellectual infrastructure development was followed up in November2002.
| 3.3.6.3.1Ministry of Public Management,Home Affairs,Posts and Telecommunications |
In the area of measurement standards,the Ministry of Public Management,Home Affairs,Posts and Telecommunications has established national standard for frequency,and is developing facilities for standard time transmission,as well as working to ensure that transmissions are provided in a stable and consistent manner.The Ministry is also conducting research to improve the accuracy of standard for frequency and time.
| 3.3.6.3.2Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology |
In FY2002 the Ministry began the National Bioresource Project,under which the Ministry develops systems to systematically collect,develop,preserve,and provide items,including experimental plants and animals such as mice,which are absolutely essential to the conduct of life science research,embryonic stem cells,and genetic resources including the genetic material of various organisms,deemed strategically important for the nation to maintain,thereby helping to ensure that they are utilized by researchers.
In addition,the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute(JAERI)conducts research for manufacture of radioisotopes(RIs).
| 3.3.6.3.3Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare |
The Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare has established"master banks"at the Nation Institute of Health Sciences(NIHS)and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases(NIID),which are set up to collect and store cultured cells and genes from humans and animals that are necessary for research in the life sciences,particularly in the fields of medicine and pharmacology.The Ministry furnishes these cultured cells and genes to re-searchers and other experts through the Japan Health Sciences Foundation(JHSF).
At present,plans for merging these master banks into one have been put in train,with the construction of a pharmaceuticals basic technology research facility to serve as a key institution,complete with a research resources supply department,for basic technology related to the development of pharmaceuticals,etc.
Also,in line with the conclusions reached in"On the State of Research and Development Using Human Tissue Obtained During Operations,etc.,"a report on human tissue issued by the Health Science Council's Advanced Medical Technology Evaluation Division on December16,1998,the Japan Health Sciences Foundation obtained the cooperation of medical institutions to collect human tissue for research use,doing so in careful consideration of bioethical issues,and commenced activities to dispense the tissue as necessary to researchers.
Elsewhere,on the issue of plants having medicinal value,as it has become difficult to secure good quality ones,the National Institute of Health Sciences'Pharmaceutical Plant Breeding Station is engaged in research into technologies for propagation(micro-propagation)of cloned plants having the same characteristics,and also systematically collects,preserves,and supplies medicinal plant resources.Moreover,at the Tsukuba Primate Center,the Ministry has bred kanikui-zaru monkeys,and furnished them for research use to researchers in Japan using joint facilities.
| 3.3.6.3.4Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries |
The Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries implements the MAFF Genebank project,in which genetic resources from plants,animals,microorganisms,forest trees,aquatic organisms,etc.,are collected,classified and identified,then subjected to characteristic evaluation,multiplication,and preservation.This program also provides national research institutes,the private sector,universities,etc.,with genetic resources and genetic resource information.In addition,the Ministry implements the DNA Bank project,which collects,accumulates,and distributes both DNA and DNA information resulting from genome research and other genetic-level research.
| 3.3.6.3.5Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry |
At the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry,the Special Committee on the Development of Intellectual Infrastructure,a joint meeting of the Industrial Structure Council Subdivision on Industrial Technology and the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee(JISC)annually revises the development objectives for intellectual infrastructure.
The National Metrology Institute of Japan(NMIJ),which is part of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology(AIST),is accelerating the expansion of national measurement standards,and also actively participates in international efforts related to the measurement standards.
To enhance the value and usefulness of bio-logical resources,the Department of Biotechnology of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation(NITE),has been engaged in the genome analysis of microorganisms and releasing the data obtained.A new center,the NITE Biological Resource Center(NBRC)was opened in FY2002.The task is to collect,characterize,preserve and supply microorganisms on a scale comparable to that of similar organizations in Europe and the U.S..The center currently maintains roughly28,000strains and clones of microorganisms for public use.
In addition,the NITE Biotechnology Development Center(NBDC)was established at the end of FY2002 to investigate gene expression and other microbial features.The independent administrative corporation AIST is engaged in protein analysis based on the genome information of microorganisms.Its International Patent Organism Depositary(IPOD)accepts and furnishes the deposits of patent-related microorganisms and plant and animal cells.
In terms of data infrastructure for chemical sub-stances risk management,the Ministry collects and coordinates data of hazardous chemical sub-stances.The Ministry also develops simplified testing methods to evaluate the safety of these substances,as well as screening tests methods for endocrine disruptors.
For the development of infrastructure for quality life and welfare technology,the Ministry supports the development of products designed in consideration of human characteristics,through the improvement of data maintenance and the development of methods for evaluating the function and performance of welfare equipment.
Moreover,the Ministry is involved in developing an improved materials database.Also,concerning geological information,the Ministry promoted geo-logical surveys that produced12new kinds of geological sheet maps in FY2002.
| 3.3.6.3.6Ministry of Land,Infrastructure and Transport |
The Ministry of Land,Infrastructure and Trans-port deals with a variety of information related to the geographic information system(GIS);it pre-pares GIS framework information such as digital maps and develops user environments such as clearinghouses.
| 3.3.6.3.7Ministry of the Environment |
The Ministry of the Environment is engaged in the indexing of environmental pollutants,and in the collection,preservation,and furnishing of micro-organisms with environmental cleaning properties,and of novel genetically modified or recombinant microorganisms. The status for the development of facilities to preserve and provide intellectual infrastructure by government ministries is shown in Table3-3-30 .
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