Japan will intensify regenerative medicine research by emphasizing collaborations and moving research into the clinic. Among government initiatives is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)– funded Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cell 10-Year Roadmap, started in 2009 to translate research to clinical status. MEXT has joined forces with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for the similar Regenerative Medicine Research Highway, which will provide stem cell R&D funding over the next 10 to 15 years. Another MEXT program, the Project for Realization of Regenerative Medicine, received ¥3.8 billion ($48.8 million) for fiscal 2011, a 60% jump in funding. The project fosters advancements in stem cell banks, manipulation technologies and therapies. Other fiscal 2011 stem cell allocations include ¥1.73 billion for METI’s stem cell “evaluation technology” efforts, ¥900 million for MHLW’s project for clinical applications of regenerative medicine, ¥1.25 billion for the Cabinet Office’s Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology to advance R&D, and ¥2.2 billion to the Japan Science and Technology Agency for iPS cell research. Earlier this year, the government created the Office of Medical Innovation in the Cabinet Secretariat to strengthen Japan’s presence in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries.

Source: British Embassy, Tokyo