On December 18, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun published an article entitled "South Korea's scientific research strength is surpassing Japan". The following is an excerpt from the full text:
South Korea's R&D strength is surpassing Japan's. According to a 2022 survey on academics** conducted by a research institute under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, South Korea surpassed Japan in the top 10 in the world in terms of quality. South Korea has been investing in technology and talent for a decade or two since the beginning of this century, and such initiatives are bearing fruit.
South Korea's top 10 is the number of "people of concern**". According to statistics from the Institute for Science, Technology and Academic Policy of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, South Korea ranked 14th in 2000 (the average of the previous three years), and has been ranked 12th to 14th since 2017, and jumped to 10th place in 2019, surpassing Japan, and most recently maintaining this ranking in 2020.
The growth driver is active investment in technology. According to statistics from the Asia-Pacific Research Center of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, South Korea's R&D spending in 2021 reached about 102 trillion won (1 yuan is about 184 won - note on this website), double the amount of about 50 trillion won in 2011. It ranks fifth after the United States, China, Japan and Germany, with a ratio of 4 to GDP93%, second only to Israel, in the second place in the world.
The Asian financial crisis in the second half of the 90s was the time when South Korea began to invest in science and technology. In order to curb the serious trend of "distancing from science and engineering", in the first decade of this century, Korea successively enacted laws and programs aimed at promoting science and technology, such as the Special Act on Science and Engineering Support, and formulated plans focusing on human resource development and support in line with the five-year revision of the Basic Plan for Science and Technology.
The main focus of research activities is the five "science and technology-focused universities" in Korea, including the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. These schools require the use of English for teaching and intramural communication, and are expected to train researchers who can play an active role in the world. Both doctoral and master's students have little financial burden, and a system that allows them to be exempted from military service has created an environment that makes it easy for human resources to engage in research.
At the same time, South Korea also attaches great importance to accepting foreign students. After 2020, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the number of international students in Japan has continued to decrease, while the number of international students accepted by South Korea will resume in 2022 to promote international talent exchange.
On the other hand, there are few voices in South Korea that are optimistic about the country's research capabilities. Every autumn when the Nobel Prize season rolls around, there is a lot of concern in South Korea that there are still no winners in the natural sciences. Yona Matsuda, a researcher at the Japan Science and Technology Agency, said, "As can be seen from the policy report on science and technology in Korea, it is more important to calmly analyze weaknesses and overcome them than to boast about the country's momentum. ”
How should Japan analyze its weaknesses and formulate a strategy that looks to the next decade or two?Japan has a lot to learn from Korea, including generous support for graduate students and strategies to expand the number of international students Xi.