NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
TOKYO REGIONAL OFFICE

October 06, 2000

Report Memorandum #00-15

Outline of JFY2001 Government Budget
Requested for Science and Technology

On September 22, 2000, the Science and Technology Agency of Japan (STA) made public a quick summary of the budget requests made by ministries and agencies for Japanese fiscal year 2001 (JFY2001: April 2001-March 2002).  The summary covers the "S&T-related budget" under the regular budget categories, amounting to Yen 3,301 billion (about US$31.43 billion), an increase by 0.5% from the initial S&T budget in JFY2000.  It also covers the S&T-related budget requested under the "special framework for reviving the Japanese economy," amounting to Yen 289 billion (US$2.75 billion).  Further summarized is the total S&T budget requests by field along the guidelines set forth by the Council for Science and Technology.       

Table 1
Summary of JFY2001 S&T Regular Budget
(Billion Yen) 

 Notes:

 (1) These budgetary figures are still subject to the modifications to be made through negotiations over the next few months between the Ministry of Finance and the respective ministries and agencies.  The final integrated budget proposal of the government will be made after the modifications.

 (2) Out of the Government's budget, the "S&T-related budget" is for the expenditures that are required for research at universities and national research institutes, and other expenditures required for promoting S&T such as subsidies, grants, contracts, and other administrative expenditures required for pursuing R&D.

 (3) The separate line items may not add up to the total due to rounding errors.

Table 2
Inter-agency Comparison of Requested Amounts
for Regular S&T-related Budgets
(Billion Yen)
  

 Note:  

 (1) The budget for the Institute of Agricultural Machinery (IAM)/Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution (BRAIN) that is co-funded by the Treasury Ministry and the Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries Ministry is included in the budget for the latter.  The budget for the Japan Key Technology Center that is co-funded by the Economy and Industry Ministry and the Management & Coordination Ministry and is doubly listed in the budgets for both ministries. 

(2) The names of the ministries and agencies used here are tentative (not official) ones to be used after the streamlining that will take place as of January 2001.  Details of the reorganization can be obtained in Tokyo Report Memorandum #99-11 (http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/rm99-11.html).

In addition to the S&T Regular Budget request, there are S&T Budgets requested under the special framework for reviving the Japanese economy (Table 3). 

Table 3
Inter-agency Comparison of Requested Amounts
Special Framework for Reviving the Japanese Economy
(Non-Public Works) 
 

Regular Budget Request and 
Budget Request in the Special Framework for Reviving Japanese Economy
 

S&T-related Budget by field

The Policy Committee of the Council for Science and Technology issued "Guidelines on Important Points in Promoting S&T in JFY2001" in June 2000.  Along the line of the Guidelines, the S&T budget by field in the regular budget request and the special framework for reviving Japanese economy can be summarized as follows.   Some of the items are doubly calculated.  Also besides the items below, there are projects to be funded by subsidies and competitive funds to be provided by independent administrative agencies.  

1.   Priority areas in R&D to cope with national and social themes 

1-1.        Life Science, Information/Communication, Earth/Environment, Materials 

1-2.              Important items other than 1-1.

2.   Consolidation of R&D environment

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 NSF/T:  K. Shinohara

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