The National Research and Development Agency system - As national innovation system in Japan
I often seem that Japanese people in Japan, especially some officials in the government of Japan, talking in English are more talkative than in Japanese. The “Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agencies” is one example. The word of “Dokuritsu-Gyosei-Hojin” in this act literally means “Independent administration Agency”, but in English translated by officials is “Incorporated Administrative Agency”, not using word of “Independent”.
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| The establishment of National Institute for Environmental Studies as “Incorporated Administrative Agency” in 2001 (C)National Institute for Environmental Studies |
From April 2001 to October 2003, most of national research and development institutes and special companies, which play a part in science and technology ,under the government in Japan, was “incorporated”, same handling with another administrative section like a national printing bureau, mint bureau, national archives. It was one of administrative reformation in a decade, from Hashimoto cabinet in 90’s to Koizumi cabinet in 00’s, and supported generally from the view point of inducting British agency system and intending to smaller government. But, while a more decade spend, someone said that there are some harmful effect to research, development, and innovation because of Incorporating, scraping, and streamlining to national research and development system as Incorporated Administrative Agency. Therefore, in 2008, some member of Diet introduced legislation including demandant to the government for establishment of new national research and development agency system, and after a short while, it was enacted.
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| Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 8th meeting of Administrative Reform Promotion Council in 20th December 2013, givining general idea for "National Research and Development Agency" system, and going to decide in the Cabinet meeting 4 days later (C) Cabinet Office |
After the 2008 act, the government of Japan started to examine for the new research and development agency system such as consulting to the advisory panel under Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and State Minister in Charge of Science and Technology Policy. At the same time, Diet amend 2008 act to spur establishment of new agency system. Finally, Abe cabinet reformed old system. Then, Japan established the new kind of agency as the “National Research and Development Agency” in “Incorporated Administrative Agency” system in 2015.
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| the Council for Research and Development (C)Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
The “National Research and Development Agency” system has 3 large features.
- Mission: the maximum results of the research and development in order to contribute to the sound development of the national economy and other public interests through the improvement in the level of science and technology in Japan
- Medium to Long-term management: Agencies are able to carry out their own research and development from a medium-term perspective, not less than five years and not more than seven years
- View point from Research and Development: The competent minister of Agencies must hear the opinions of "Council for Research and Development”, or “Committee on Scientific and Technical Information” in case of designated institute, before their setting objective and post evaluation.
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| JAXA, one of the National Research and Development Agency (Public Domain/ (C)NASA) |
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| NCC, one of the National Research and Development Agency (C)Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare |
As of 2022, there were 27 National Research and Development Agencies in Japan. Dr.Ryoji Noyori, Nobel laureate and former president of RIKEN, one of popular National Research and Development Agency, said that the word of “National” in “National Research and Development Agency” doesn’t mean “government managed”, but expressing expectation from the Japanese people, like a word of “Royal” in Britain. In today, all of National Research and Development Agencies are evaluated whether or not those agencies answer people’s expectation as Noyori said. At someday, are National Research and Development Agencies able to change this country to be as the nation most suitable for innovations, in the world?
Appendix - the list of National Research and Development Agency in Japan (at of April 2002)
AMED : Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
NICT : National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
NIMS : National Institute for Materials Science
NIED : National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience
QST : National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology
JST : Japan Science and Technology Agency
RIKEN : Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
JAXA : Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
JAMSTEC : Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
JAEA : Japan Atomic Energy Agency
NIBIOHN : National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition
NCC : National Cancer Center
NCVC : National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center
NCNP : National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
NCGM : National Center for Global Health and Medicine
NCCHD : National Center for Child Health and Development
NCGG : National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology
NARO : National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
JIRCAS : Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
FFPRI : Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
FRA : Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency
AIST : National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
NEDO : New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
PWRI : Public Works Research Institute
BRI : Building Research Institute
MPAT : National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology
NIES : National Institute for Environmental Studies
