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On June 14, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 39th meeting of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
During the meeting, there was a discussion on the planning of the integrated innovation strategy.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Today, we finalized the compilation of the Integrated Innovation Strategy.
 
We will boldly reform the management subsidies scheme for universities.
 
This will involve the introduction of a new mechanism where subsidies are granted with priority given to universities that are implementing management reforms with a sense of urgency and those that are actively attempting to raise funds from the private sector.
 
By creating incentives for reform, we will strongly encourage reforms at universities, which are a hub for generating innovation.
 
We will allocate a greater portion of research budgets to young researchers, who will define the future.
By expanding the annual salary system, we will also thoroughly ensure that salary levels are determined based on performance evaluations and change the current system so that one’s compensation is not determined by the length of one’s employment.
 
We will increase the allocation of research grants to young researches in an effort to greatly expand opportunities for them to play more active roles.
 
In an era where the world is experiencing dynamic and transformative change that can be called the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution.’ We must create a new ecosystem of innovation in Japan, so that we become the country that is best positioned to generate innovation in the world.
 
From this standpoint, this strategy includes initiatives aimed at supporting so-called ‘Moonshot’ research and development, whereby the wisdom of the private sector is brought together in pursuit of ambitious targets.
 
I ask that the relevant ministers work as one and swiftly and steadily implement bold policies that are not constrained by conventional thinking, firmly looking ahead to the future and positioning this strategy in the center of the Cabinet’s Growth Strategy.”