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On November 11, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 46th meeting of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
At the meeting, a discussion was held on the support for basic research and young researchers.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Today, Dr. Yoshino, Honorary Fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation, who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, is here with us. I would like to once again express my sincere congratulations to you.
 
Dr. Yoshino’s research has transformed and greatly enriched the lives of people around the world, and I feel deep pride as a fellow citizen of Japan. Today, we heard from Dr. Yoshino in detail, regarding the strengthening of Japan’s research capabilities.
 
Dr. Yoshino has conducted his research in a private sector company and made significant contributions. As it shows, Japan’s strength is the volume of its research talents in an ‘all Japan’ basis, which includes industries in addition to universities and national research and development agencies. In order to further consolidate this strength, it is extremely important to provide an attractive research environment to ambitious researchers, from young to star. In particular, what is most important is to enrich support to young researchers, for Japan to maintain its world-leading research capabilities into the future. It is necessary to improve, fundamentally, a research environment for young researchers in universities and national research and development agencies so that young people can pursue a career as a researcher with dreams and hope for the future.
 
I ask you to review the comprehensive research funding and undertake overall reforms, including securing positions, creating career paths, and streamlining funding allocations so that young researchers can devote themselves to challenging their own research with out-of-the-box ideas.
 
We are in the era where leading researchers seek the best research environment, moving across the world. It is necessary to completely abandon conventional thinking, such as equal treatment of universities and national research and development agencies, in order to gather top researchers domestically and from abroad to Japan. I ask you to create an environment which provides a world-class treatment for researchers with significant achievements, by encouraging them to obtain external funding more actively and enabling them to increase their salaries.
 
With a view to raising research standards in the industrial sector, I ask you to advance a comprehensive initiative, including joint research between universities, national research and development agencies and private-sector companies, and further stimulate open innovation, from the perspective of strengthening Japan’s competitiveness.
 
With regard to these points, I ask Minister Takemoto and other relevant ministers including Minister Hagiuda and Minister Kajiyama, to work together and incorporate concrete and bold policies into a comprehensive package to strengthen research capacity and support young researchers, which is currently under review.”