Prospects for Science and Technology Cooperation with the Asia and Pacific Region - Part 2

This is the second article in a series of two detailing a roundtable discussion held between members of the Asia and Pacific Research Center, and members of the Japanese government related to science.

Sunami: I think these are important issues because at last year's Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, we also saw that the Pacific Islands have great expectations of Japan's climate change research. There are high expectations of Japan with regard to developing vaccines as well. I would like to hear from the Secretary-General Matsuo about how the Sixth Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan will be promoted.

Some of the biggest challenges of living with COVID are vaccines and environmental issues: Matsuo
Researcher trends and APRC themes in the long run: Shiraishi

Matsuo: Regarding living with COVID, I think that vaccines, health care, and environmental matters are the top global issues. Regarding vaccines, the government is currently attempting to create a system that will enable the study of various factors to realize emergency vaccines. We are working on meteorological research on environmental issues using supercomputers such as K and Fugaku, and I believe that weather forecasting in Japan is quite accurate.

As for carbon neutrality, the government has established a two trillion-yen fund to promote the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization's (NEDO) research and development (R&D) projects. I think the major issue is how to develop this fund throughout the Asia and Pacific regions into the future.
While the population of these regions is increasing and its status is rising, Japan's population is decreasing, and its status is in relative decline, but Japan's position is superior in terms of technology and related areas, so I think it is Japan's responsibility to tackle global challenges. As for the circulation of talented human resources, we would benefit from strong collaboration with the Asia and Pacific regions, which are a large market. I think it will become important from the standpoint of establishing stable relations between countries or various standards. On top of this, Japan is an advanced country in terms of health and an aging population, and it is also a model for the Asia and Pacific regions, so this is something I would like to emphasize thoroughly.

Additionally, with regard to 5G and 6G (fifth and the sixth-generation mobile communications), quantum technologies, and so forth, I believe that the only way for the national governments to address these issues is to embrace cooperation, competition, and strategy.

Sunami: Director-General Shiraishi, what are your thoughts on what these two gentlemen just said?

Shiraishi: Let me talk about research promotion from a slightly different perspective. I find some of the findings of an ongoing research trend analysis in the field of quantum technology as a case study interesting.

It is important to identify the countries where certain kinds of researchers are located, and the types of international collaboration in which they are engaged by surveying and studying them longitudinally. This should be a good way of "protecting" and "nurturing" science and technology, and I find it worthwhile for the APRC to do. Second, corporate managers emphasize predictability and decide to invest in R&D by examining national policies and market conditions. No matter how much you invest in technology, your investment will depend to a large extent on global market rules, the state's role in their formulation and research support. Hence, governments must look at corporate investment trends as well as global market and security trends for its own science and technology investment. I think this should be an important point in science and technology policy.

For example, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hagiuda Koichi signed a cooperative agreement with the government of Indonesia, which I think is a step toward a major shift in Indonesia's energy policy. In Germany, large-scale projects are underway, indicating the viability of internal combustion engines and encouraging us to make e-fuel. I believe that one of the APRC's roles is to understand and share these trends.

Economic security as a total strategy: Matsuo
Sound development through cooperation in key and emerging technologies: Matsumoto
Themes not only for the APRC but for JST as a whole: Shiraishi

Sunami: There was mention of economic security earlier on. In relation to Japan's science and technology policy, what are your views on economic security?

Matsuo: The Kishida administration attaches great importance to economic security. The Sixth Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan sets comprehensive economic security and individual wellbeing as its major pillars, and we are committed to steadily advancing the four pillars of "know," "nurture," "utilize," and "protect." With particular regard to "protect" science and technology, based on open science, researchers' independent efforts and national regulations are necessary from the viewpoint of research integrity. However, this is similar to the relationship between accelerating and braking, so it is difficult to balance and steer these efforts.

The Japanese government is working toward finding a winning path for Japan, while considering what Japan must do and how we can be essential to the world. Moreover, with the economic security fund that we have budgeted, we will really find a winning path and identify what should be protected. We will also create a total inter-organizational strategy rather than strategies for each field. On the other hand, I believe that human resource exchanges involving young researchers need to be carried out as grassroot activities and that it is important to communicate on the basis of mutual understanding and trust.

Sunami: What about you, Science and Technology Advisor Matsumoto?

Matsumoto: At the Global Technology Governance Summit held online last year, we discussed science and technology cooperation in the Quad (collaboration and cooperation among Japan, the United States, Australia, and India) with science and technology advisors from the United States, Australia, and India. A key discussion centered on cooperation strategies regarding important and emerging technologies.

In human resource development, the United States is trying to take the initiative with fellowship programs, but I said that we need to discuss a system for going back and forth between each other. We then discussed the importance of contributing to the sound development of a free and democratic society for emerging technologies. We also said that these various things need to be people-centered and inclusive and that there is a need for accountability, meaning that we must do things in a way that allows everyone to understand and accept them. We also touched on the importance of building science and technology ecosystems in countries with shared values, so we should collaborate with each other.

Sunami: What about you, Director-General Shiraishi?

Shiraishi: Emerging technologies are mentioned. During the Cold War era, there were the Coordinating Committee on Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) and the China Committee (CHINCOM), and they worked pretty well. It was in part because controlling the materials and technologies for nuclear power, chemical weapons, and biological weapons was not as difficult as it is now, owing to the nature of those technologies. But we now have emerging technologies for which the end-use and end-users are unknown. And yet, we must invest in these fields in the interest of the industry and security.

In a democracy, open science is a core principle, and it is hard to control technologies above a certain level as confidential research. That is what has been happening in the United States over the past few years, and the number of companies the US government put on the entity list is increasing. The US government is also tightening its control of basic technologies such as semiconductors, and at the same time enhancing cyber security to protect its vital infrastructure. And I think Japan is going in the same direction.

I have talked to people in Washington who are well acquainted with these challenges, and I learned that they knew well where Japan excels in such fields as AI and robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and the Internet of things (IoT). I believe we should do the same.

I think the APRC can do this to a certain extent, but with regard to economic security, we need to create networks that include a variety of entities that work on economic security. The APRC can be a part of the effort; JST itself needs to be a very significant player.

The importance of the Asia-Pacific region: Matsuo
Magnificent think tank functions such as surveys and research: Matsumoto
Networking analytics as an APRC key theme: Shiraishi

Sunami: Finally, I would like to hear your expectations for the APRC, concluding with Director-General Shiraishi. Secretary-General Matsuo, would you like to start?

Matsuo: As we approach the post-COVID era, natural disasters and environmental issues are becoming increasingly serious, and the position of the Asia and Pacific regions as a whole are becoming extremely important. I believe it is extremely important for the APRC to spread information in the region, build networks, and monitor and analyze the situation.

We would like to utilize human exchanges in various policies from the perspectives of economic security and open science, so we can benefit from strong cooperation with our policies. In particular, JST receives various state funds, such as from the 10 trillion-yen university fund, Moonshot R&D program, and economic security programs. I hope that JST will conduct research and analysis within the Asia and Pacific regions to support such funds.

Sunami: Next, Science and Technology Advisor Matsumoto.

Matsumoto: I also want Japan to have networks. The question is whether we can implement proper governance for small-scale networks and a network of networks connecting everything as a whole. It's fun to work in your own area, but I think the ability to connect with neighboring fields constitutes a kind of science and technology literacy. Surveys and research on countries and regions in the Asia and the Pacific region will be conducted to publicize what you could call social technology and the ways in which we should have that literacy. This can ultimately be used in science and technology diplomacy, as well as for the development of science and technology policies. I would love for the center to fulfill such a spectacular "think tank" function.

About 10 years ago, I investigated the reasons underlying Singapore's rising university rankings and found that the source of Singapore's intellectual strength is that their people circulate widely. Those that enter university do not end up just being associated with university-related work. There was also talk about acting strategically. Since national resources cannot address everything in a country, it is important to harmonize with surrounding countries and regions to position yourself well. That is the same as the Japanese word for "borrowed landscapes", which is about incorporating background landscapes into garden designs. It is about building win-win relationships with various places and connecting them well. As a science and technology advisor, I am thinking about whether that will settle down into a network of networks.

Sunami: That is a very interesting point, and I hope that we can utilize science and technology in the Asia-Pacific region as a borrowed landscape. Now, may I ask Director-General Shiraishi to conclude?

Shiraishi: I am certain that "network " is an important keyword. We look at organizations like research centers, but it is actually people working there who are important, and sometimes a research institute that used to be excellent ends up dull 10 years down the line. The APRC will not become a research hub. But if we look at a certain field in a global perspective, as I mentioned what we are doing in the field of quantum research and if we continue doing this type of network analysis, say, for 10 years, it will be quite instrumental to identify who are leading the field, who they work with, who trained them, who they are training, and who might be emerging as future leaders. I do not think this type of think tank has existed in Japan until now.

I have been saying that whether a think tank works depends to a considerable degree on what the clients expect and whether they clearly give us the job we should be doing. For that I hope for close communications with all of you while continuing to ask what should be the APRC's mission.

Sunami: The APRC will continue to be a familiar and dependable presence for both you and the people of the Asia-Pacific region.

This ends the roundtable discussion. Thank you very much.