Japan’s new administration has slashed the science and technology-related spending (S&T funding) in the country’s 2009 Economic Stimulus Packaging by 29.8% to ¥944.6 billion ($9.4 billion). Stimulus-related S&T funding for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology now stands at ¥443.2 billion, down from the supplemental budget’s original amount of ¥656.2 billion. Stimulus-related S&T funding for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has been set at ¥287.4 billion and ¥162.2 billion, respectively. The budget for the special fund for the “Funding Program for World-leading Innovative R&D on S&T” received ¥100 billion. A program to support young researchers and female researchers received ¥30 billion, while a program to send researcher overseas received ¥7.6 billion.

Source: National Science Foundation, Tokyo Regional Office