Japan's research capabilities remain in the doldrums. According to a Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology survey, researchers in Japan are the 10th most commonly cited in global academic papers, the country's lowest ever position. China has leapt past the United States to reach first place.

       Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has cited the realization of Japan as a scientifically and technologically strong nation as the primary pillar of his growth strategy. In their manifestoes for the House of Representatives election set for Oct. 31, both ruling and opposition parties have included pledges to expand investment in research and improve the treatment of researchers.

       But if the course of policies is not averted from an inclination toward utility, its realization is unthinkable.

       In 2019, public and private spending on research and development was 18 trillion yen (about $158 billion). The amount has barely increased in the last 10 years.

       To make effective use of the limited funds available, the government has proceeded with an emphasis on "choice and concentration." Research that quickly yields results and work themed as of use to industry and other endeavors has become prioritized. There has also been an increased movement toward encouraging research with military applications.

       Because subsidies from the government to support national universities have continued to fall, there are insufficient funds to use in research deriving from freely occurring ideas.

       Staff numbers are also dwindling. Fixed-term posts are increasing, and the positions of researchers themselves are becoming insecure. Japan's doctoral degree recipient numbers peaked in academic 2006, and have since been on a downward trend.

       Graduate students, the potential researchers of the future, are also placed in difficult circumstances. A not inconsiderable number are forced to work long hours in part-time work to cover living and academic expenses.

       Within the current fiscal year, the government will start a university fund with some 10 trillion yen (around $88 billion) available. It will reportedly distribute investment profits to universities for use supporting research and young people.

       But, it is expected that the conditions to receive the funds will include advancement on fundamental organizational change, such as installing university presidents with strong business abilities. If efficient management is prioritized, far-reaching research support will be precarious.

       Science does not yield fruit in a day. There is research that starts without any immediate sense of what use it might have, which goes on to be of great benefit in the future.

       Syukuro Manabe won a share of this year's Nobel Prize in physics for his work developing a model to predict climate change. Reflecting on it, he said he "never dreamed that global warming would become such a big problem. I just did my research with curiosity."

       It is not appropriate to make scientific research, which should be developed with a long-term view, the engine of a growth strategy. What is sought is a rethink of prioritizing mere utility, and discussion with a medium- to long-term view on what it means to be a world-class country in science and technology.

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