Chapter 2. Improvement and Expansion of the Basis of Scientific Research
6 Promotion of International Scientific Exchange
Since scientific research is promoted through the intellectual
exchange and cooperation of researchers having different concepts and experiences,
the free exchange and cooperation among researchers across national boundaries
is indis-pensable. Lately, a growing importance has been attached to international
scien-tific exchange and cooperation because of the increase of research fields
which need to be addressed from a global standpoint, or those which need large-scale
facilities and equipment which are too costly for one single nation to cope with.
A wide range of international scientific exchange activities
are being supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. These
include the participation of Japanese researchers at international conferences,
joint institutional research with foreign universities or research institutes,
participation in archeological excavations in foreign countries, scientific cooperation
with developing countries, and accepting foreign researchers to participate in
scientific meetings or to conduct joint research in Japan.