![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||
![]() |
Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTS AND CULTURE 1997 > Scientific Research Chapter 1 Section 1 1 | ![]() |
Scientific research is a universal, creative intellectual activity deriving from the fundamental human desire to seek knowledge and truth. Scientific research aims to discover new laws and principles, establish analytical and synthetic methodologies, systematize new knowledge and technology, and pioneer advanced fields of learning. It spans all disciplines from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences, depends on researchers' ability to develop their ideas freely and pursue research activities autonomously, and is carried out mainly in universities and their affiliated research institutions. The fruits of scientific research have inherent cultural value as intellectual assets and public commodities shared by all humanity. Transformed into applications and technology that support and enrich our lives, they also provide a basis for advancing humanity and society.
In view of these characteristics, scientific research should basically be supported by the government. This is reflected in a report produced by the Group on the Science System, an arm of the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which identifies scientific research, which in most countries has been traditionally carried out in universities, as a public commodity that is supported by public funding ( Chapter 4, Section 3.1(1) ). "Realizing Our Potential," the science and technology white paper presented to the British parliament in 1993, reasons that the government should encourage scientific research because the fruits of such research belong to the society and the national economy as a whole, and not solely to those who conduct or fund it. In economics, a "public commodity" is defined as an item for which supply would not meet society's demand if left solely to market transactions (a "market failure" situation), but which could be supplied in sufficient quantities if governments provide appropriate fiscal support.
The Role of University-Based Scientific Research in Socioeconomic Development Analysis of economic growth according to the endogenous growth theory shows that a portion of growth cannot be explained solely by increases in the quantity of labor and capital. That portion is referred to as "total factor productivity" (TFP). It has been measured by governments and researchers in many countries, including the authors of Japan's Economic White Paper (an annual report on the state of the Japanese economy), and its strategic importance to socioeconomic development is widely recognized. This perspective was reflected in the 1962 Education White Paper, which focused on "Japan's Growth And Education." A pioneering attempt to demonstrate, through measurement and other means, that education makes a major contribution to Japan's economic growth, this white paper concluded that "it is necessary to consider the role to be played by education on a broader basis: Education should not only aim to contribute to the economic growth of society, but also aim at the development of individual citizens who will find their proper place in the rich future society." The white paper also offered the following analysis of the role of universities and university-based scientific research. ![]() ![]() ![]() Universities and scientific research thus play a crucial role in socioeconomic development. Japan's "catch-up" development strategy is now a thing of the past. To provide the driving force for our country's future development in an environment defined not only by limited resources and energy but also by a falling birth rate and a rapidly aging population, universities must undertake basic and original research, which the private sector cannot handle adequately, and make better use of the results in education and human resource development. |
Back to Top | MEXT HOME |