NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
TOKYO REGIONAL OFFICE

January 26, 2000

Report Memorandum #00-03

I. Introduction

On December 19, 1999, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi announced the creation of a special budgetary framework with a total allocation of ¥500 billion (~$5.0 billion) for JFY2000 (April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001) as a means for stimulating the Japanese economy. Of this total, ¥250 billion (~$2.5 billion) will be allocated for public works-type of projects and activities, and half for non-public works-types of projects and activities. The non-public works category includes a ¥120.6 billion (~$1.2 billion) allocation for targeted science and technology-related activities, referred to collectively as the Millenium Project and related projects.

The rationale given by the Prime Minister's Office for the Millenium Project is that in preparation for the new millenium, Japan needs to make bold technological innovations that will generate new industries to address the most significant challenges facing humanity. The three specific challenges to be addressed, each with its own budget allocation, are:

1. Information Technology,
2. Aging, and
3. Environment.

Within this framework, the bulk of the ¥120.6 billion Millenium Project allocation for JFY 2000 (¥117.6 billion) will be distributed among specific projects to be implemented on an interministerial/interagency basis, several of them involving industry-government cooperation. These projects, which are listed in Section II, were selected by the Prime Minister's Office from among competing proposals submitted by the ministries/agencies early in the fall of 1999.

A small portion of the Millenium Project allocation (¥3 billion) has been set aside to facilitate broader public participation. In particular, individuals and organizations are being asked to submit proposals for grants of ¥10-50 million annual (~$100-500K) for innovative R&D activities. Finally, the Science and Technology Agency (STA)-in an effort to promote public outreach-is soliciting statements from individuals and groups about their vision of science and technology for the 21st Century. Both participatory aspects of the Millenium Project are highlighted in Section III.

II. Interministerial/Interagency Activities

Listed below are the titles of activities proposed by the Government's Ministries and Agencies and approved by the Prime Minister's Office under the Millenium Project. The names of the respective ministries and agencies responsible for each activity are listed, along with the corresponding JFY 2000 allocation. Full names of the Ministries/Agencies listed in abbreviated form in this section are given in the appendix.

	¥ billion
Millenium Project Total	120.6
Total Allocated to Activities of Ministries/Agencies (JFY 2000)	117.6

A. Information Technology2

37.0

1. Information technology in education (Monbusho, MITI, MPT)

11.9

• Establishment of computers and Internet at public schools
• Establishment of LAN at public schools
• Computer training for public school teachers
• Development of school training materials
• Establishment of a national center for educational information

2. Electronic (paperless) government (CO, MCA, DA, STA, MOF, MITI, MOT, MPT, MOC, MHA)

9.9

• Establishment of Government Public Key Infrastructure (GPKI)
• R&D on infrastructure to be widely used
• Electronic application/submission of official documents
• Trial of electronic application/submission in six major application/submission procedures
• Electronic procurement (excluding public works)
• Networking among local governments

3. Promotion of Information Technology in the 21st Century (IT21) (MITI, MPT)

15.2

B Aging

65.3

1. Human genome-related activities (STA, Monbusho, MHW, MAFF, MITI)

64.0

• Analysis of human genome
• Measures to address five major age-related diseases: Alzheimers, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies
• Regenerative medicine through the analysis of self repair mechanism
• Production of highly-functional and agrochemically efficient food through the analyses of the rice genome
• Public understanding of the benefits of biotechnology and measures to prevent the abuse of knowledge in this field

2. Research on economic factors that facilitate the employment of seniors (EPA, MITI, MOL)

1.3

• Research on the Japanese socio-economic system
• Research on the technological environment of senior employees

C. Environment

15.2

1. Development and introduction of next-generation technologies that prevent global warming (STA, MITI, MOT, MPT)

4.0

• Fuel cells
• Development of techno-super liner (TSL)
• R&D on stratospheric platform
• Implementation of the ARGO plan [NB: Japan's ARGO project is one component of a multinational program to deploy a global system of floating oceanic buoys. The program is being promoted in the United States by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). Argo was the name of the ship on which Jason, hero of the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece, is reputed to have sailed.]

2. Control of dioxins and environmental hormones; promotion of measures for cleaning-up PCB, and the development of recycling technologies (STA, EA, MHW, MAFF, MITI, MOT, MOC, MHA)

10.4

• Decreasing dioxins and related substances in the environment and cleaning up PCBs
• Evaluation and management of risks of environmental hormones
• Development and introduction of recycle/reuse technologies

3. Research aimed at establishing a cyclical economic society (EPA, EA)

0.8

• Research on factors promoting a cyclical economic society
• Research on the environment associated with advanced technologies

III. Public Participation (STA)

3.0

In addition to the ¥117.6 billion allocated in JFY 2000 for projects managed by ministries and agencies, ¥3.0 billion has been allocated to the Science and Technology Agency (STA) for the fiscal year to permit broad public participation in the Millenium Project: first, through a program of grants for innovative R&D; second, through an outreach program to solicit from the Japanese public their visions of science and technology in the 21st Century.

A. Solicitation of projects for innovative R&D. STA is soliciting proposals from individuals and groups for grants of ¥10-50 million per year (~$100-500K) for innovative R&D in the areas of information technology, aging, and environment. STA provided the following sample themes as part of this solicitation:

(1) Information Technology: R&D to make people's lives convenient and comfortable with easy access to information by using information and communication infrastructure that keeps pace with rapid developments.

(2) Aging: R&D to enable senior people to enjoy their life.

(3) Environment: R&D to preserve and restore the environment, decrease the burden to the environment, and to help create a cyclical society

Any individual, group, or private company engaged in R&D is eligible to apply for a grant. Japanese citizens living abroad may be involved in an activity, but the project leader must be resident in Japan. Proposed projects should aim to make significant contributions to solving problems Japan is facing in information technology, aging, and environment, with the impacts on Japanese industry and people's lives considered in detail.
The deadline for submission of proposals is March 31, 2000. An external committee to be established under the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology will review proposals and make the final selection, calling on additional experts for assistance, when necessary. Results of the competition will be announced in June. Grants may be made for periods of up to three years, subject to annual reviews of progress.

B. Solicitation of opinions on science and technology in the 21st Century from the public. On October 29, 1999, STA invited individuals to submit short statements on the theme, "Science and technology in the 21st Century: let's talk about our dreams and hopes," with a January 31, 2000, deadline for their receipt. Submissions from elementary school students, junior and senior high school students, and adults will be judged separately. Winners of three "excellents" and 15 "very goods" in each category will receive public recognition, including a certificate, in addition to tangible non-monetary awards. Length limits for statements in the three respective categories are approximately 1000 words, 1500 words, and 3000 words³.

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NSF/Tokyo: K. Shinohara

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Appendix

The full names of the ministries and agencies given in abbreviated form in Section II are the following:

Monbusho: Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture
MITI: Ministry of International Trade and Industry
MPT: Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications
CO: Cabinet Office
EA: Environment Agency
MCA: Management & Coordination Agency
DA: Defense Agency
STA: Science and Technology Agency
MOF: Ministry of Finance
MOT: Ministry of Transport
MOC: Ministry of Construction
MHA: Ministry of Home Affairs
MHW: Ministry of Health and Welfare
EPA: Economic Planning Agency
MOL: Ministry of Labor

1. The material in this report is based on an announcement issued by the Government of Japan's Cabinet Councilor's Office for Internal Affairs.
2. Separate allocations may not add up to total due to rounding errors.
3 . Length limits, which were specified in terms of Japanese characters, have no exact English equivalents.