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Japan's Science and Technology Council has called for the setting up of an independent body to carry out external evaluation of university research in order to make it more competitive.

tokyo

Japan is to launch a national programme to identify and map single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Japanese population. It will create a public SNP database which scientists hope will contribute to international efforts.

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Japanese government officials are said to be trying to resolve a dispute about strategy between researchers taking part in the Genome Frontier Programme.

[TOKYO]

Japan's space programme experienced a major setback last week when one of its H-II rockets had to be destroyed shortly after its lift-off.

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Despite Japan's severe economic situation, spending on industrial research and development increased by a record amount in the fiscal year 1997, according to figures released last week.

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Japanese government departments that fail to cooperate with the government's planned restructuring of national research institutes and universities, could be penalized with substantial budget cuts.

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Japanese scientists are concerned that a government proposal to publicize early stages of animal cloning research could jeopardize the originality of their work -- including the publication of research results in scientific journals.

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The first clinical application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Japan moved a step closer last week.

TOKYO

Japan's science and technology-related budget is due to receive a substantial increase in the next fiscal year, thanks primarily to a new government move to promote various high-tech industries.

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A primate research centre in Japan has come under attack by animal rights activists for brokering the sales of monkeys obtained from zoological parks to medical research laboratories.

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Japan's latest plan to tackle global warming has come under fierce criticism from environmentalists for its dependence on the use of nuclear energy to reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

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Japan has included a generous 8.1 per cent boost in funds for science and technology for the 1999 fiscal year, beginning on 1 April, with a strong emphasis on basic research.

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Japan's largest-ever economic stimulus package is being viewed with mixed reactions by the scientific community.

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Japan's earthquake research programme could be refocused from predicting an imminent earthquake to longer range forecasts.

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Japan's Council for Science and Technology announced last week that it plans to set up a committee to discuss the possibility of imposing a legal ban on human cloning.

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Japanese patients awaiting organ transplants are calling for the revision of current restrictive legislation covering organ donation.

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Japan is to set up a body to evaluate engineering and technology departments at universities to develop a system that will set teaching standards equal to those in the West.

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Japan has announced plans to set up an inter-ministerial committee to explore ways of giving university researchers more freedom to work in collaboration with industry.

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Japan's science policy-makers are planning to make a statement of their priorities in science and technology in a bid to ensure adequate funding for key research areas in future government budgets.

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A South Korean research team has come under fire for refusing to disclose the evidence to back up its claim of cloning a human embryo.

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Japan's trade minister, Kaoru Yosano, has urged university scientists to be given more freedom to collaborate with industry.

TOKYO

China has announced plans for tough regulations to clamp down on 'false' earthquake warnings in order to prevent panic and mass evacuations of cities.

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The Japanese science ministry expects a considerable boost in its science-related budget under a special one-off grant from the government.

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Earthquake research in Japan should focus on basic research into the mechanisms of earthquakes instead of predict when they will occur, according to an advisory body to the Japanese prime minister.

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Three key government ministries have failed to reach agreement on binding targets for reductions in greenhouse gases.

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The Asia Pacific International Molecular Biology Network last week endorsed the proposal for a global repository of biomedical literature,'E-Biomed', but said that it was important that contributions are peer reviewed.

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Physicist Akito Arima, a former president of Tokyo University and an influential voice in Japanese science policy debates, is the country's new education minister.

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Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) last proposed the mandatory labelling of 28 food products containing detectable genetically modified (GM) products, including soybeans, corn and potatoes.

TOKYO

Japan is to link 10 independent nuclear fusion research institutes into a single network intended to boost collaboration between universities and government-run institutes fusion research.

TOKYO

The Japanese government estimates the cost of underground disposal of nuclear waste in Japan to be 8 to 13 times more expensive than in France and Britain.

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The University of Tokyo and 12 private Japanese companies have started a joint initiative to sequence and analyse full length human complementary DNA (cDNA).

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The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, a proposed US$10 billion next-generation fusion facility, faces significant scaling-down.

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US government scientists are seeking consultations with scientists from Japan following Japanese claims that radish sprout seeds imported from the United States were to blame for last year's E. colifood poisoning outbreak.

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The failure of three space missions in nine months has led to calls for a fundamental revision of development strategy at Japan's National Space and Development Agency.

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Prominent basic research institutes in Japan are set to be transformed into semi-autonomous ‘agencies’ with enhanced managerial independence.

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Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) has decided to build a new space centre on Christmas Island in the South Pacific, part of the Republic of Kiribati.