According to a survey by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the country’s number of R&D personnel for the year ended March 31, 2009 rose 0.9% to 10,650. Excluding research assistants, technical staff and administrators, the number of researchers increased 1.4% to 8,390. Japan’s R&D spending for the year ended March 31, 2008 declined 0.8% to ¥18,800.1 billion ($188 billion). As a percentage of GDP, R&D spending was 3.78%, up from 3.67%. Industry R&D expenditures fell 1.4% to make up 73% of Japan’s R&D spending. R&D spending by universities and nonprofit/public organizations increased 0.6% and 1.8% to 18% and 9% of the total, respectively. Government and foreign organizations’ spending rose 1.2% and 11.4% to 18% and less than 1% of total R&D, respectively. Industry accounted for 82% of R&D spending by source as its spending declined 1.2%. Fiscal 2009 R&D spending for the natural sciences declined 0.8% to represent 93% of R&D spending. By field, life science, environment and nanotech R&D expenditures rose 1.9%, 2.6% and 6.9% to ¥2,743 billion, ¥1,106 billion and ¥990.7 billion, respectively.

Source: National Science Foundation Tokyo Office