Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > March, 2006

53rd Meeting of the Council for Science and Technology Policy Wednesday March 22, 2006 JAPANESE The 53rd meeting of the Council for Science and Technology Policy was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting, the 3rd Science and Technology Basic Plan and the Promotion Strategy for the Prioritized Areas, which the government will intensively carry out over five years from FY2006 to FY2010, were approved. The Basic Plan identifies measures concerning selecting and concentrating investment and achieving outcomes in eight areas, including life sciences, information technology (IT), environmental sciences, and nano-tech and materials. Furthermore, it specified the research and development (R&D) and outcome targets for each issue, while also selecting 62 issues in which the government should invest intensively for the next five years based on comprehensive perspectives such as the needs of society and the people and international competitiveness, among other aspects. At the meeting, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, "The science and technology category is the only part of the budget that is seeing an increase of allocated sums. I presume that it is difficult in such a category to clearly determine what should be emphasized and what should not be. However, science and technology is a prioritized area, and I would appreciate your efforts in making good use of your talents."