Japan's Ministry of Education has released a long list of science spending wishes for its 2004 budget. But the government isn't likely to turn all the dreams into reality.
The budget plan, for the fiscal year that begins next April, would push life sciences spending up a healthy 26%, to $775 million (not including salaries). The blueprint includes $68 million for the first year of a 5-year Genome Network plan, which will try to unravel the interactions among genes, transcription factors, and proteins. It also requests $21 million for a new initiative to turn basic cancer research results into practical prevention measures, diagnostics, and therapies. The ministry also wants to boost spending on information technology by 41%, to $81 million, to fund the development of next-generation computer simulations and high-speed networks.
The government is likely to approve far smaller budgets later this year, according to an official at Japan's Council for Science and Technology Policy. The Ministry of Finance had encouraged all ministries to aim high for science-related spending, he says, with the understanding that actual amounts would be negotiated downward. Still, the field of "science and technology is being treated very well," he says, given that other sectors are anticipating cuts.
