History, current state and perspectives of science and technology policy in Japan: Toward the sixth Science and Technology Basic Plan

Science and Technology Basic Plans are the most important documents which prescribe basic policies for science and technology of the whole government of Japan. They are enacted every five years and the latest plan is the fifth one. This article implies administrative structures for science and technology policy and reviews history of policies since the pre-2nd World War era. Then, the article analyses characteristics of the past and current Basic Plans, and it indicates some policy implications toward the next Basic Plan.