The Asia Pacific Research Center (JST) collects a wide range of information on science and technology innovation policies, R&D trends, and related economic and social conditions in the Asia and Pacific regions and conducts focused surveys and analyses that respond to today's issues and needs. Click here for more information.

The strategic importance of STI is growing in today's society, and countries are competing to achieve excellence in this field. Innovation is facilitated in an environment where diverse human resources interact, collaborate, and compete.

Synthetic Biology is an expansive field of biotechnology, and global attention to it is on the rise. In this context, the Asia Pacific Research Center (APRC) published a new report about the key policies, emerging trends in research and patents in synthetic biology strongholds of the Asia-Pacific region like Australia, China, and India.

With the development of increasingly more powerful computing and its potential in a wide range of fields, the use modelling is on the rise across a number of academic disciplines. Two fields where this can be seen clearly are life and medical science.

January 20 marked one year since Japan's first Moon landing by the demonstrator lander SLIM. Not only did it achieved the world's first highly accurate "pinpoint landing" but also survived three nights when it could not generate power, exceeding its designed capabilities and repeatedly recovering, leaving its mark on the history of Japanese science and technology.

Japan Airlines (JAL), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and other organizations have been conducting experiments to increase fuel efficiency by reducing air resistance by applying a coating with fine grooves on the aircraft surface. Following tests on domestic flights, the above-mentioned organizations have recently begun testing the proposed approach on international flights. The grooves have a "riblet" structure inspired by the shark skin, and they are an example of "biomimetics," the technique of mimicking the structures of living organisms to aid in manufacturing. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.