In its guidelines for the next fiscal year's budgetary requests, the government has permitted a 5 percent hike in science and technology promotion spending, making an exception in the 10-percent cut in general expenditures and public-works spending. This is a real treat amid the deflationary climate. The problem is whether the money is going to be effectively used.
The science and technology budget started increasing in the mid-1990s. A total of 17 trillion yen was injected into this field in the five years since fiscal 1996. It looks like this upward trend is going to continue. A total of 24 trillion yen is scheduled to be spent for the next five years for the same purpose, starting this fiscal year.
Science and technology is an intellectual asset of humankind that forms the basis of our society, economy, culture and so on. So the increase in investment in this area is fine in itself. But if the funds for building roads and bridges in local areas are simply cut and allocated to science and technology instead, the public will probably question the results of this spending.