It has recently been reported that some venture businesses, started by researchers who have spun out of research organizations involved in the human genom project, are trying to complete the decipherment process several years earlier than foreseen and obtain patents for their results. Determination of the base sequences of genes in nothing but a verification of basic factors in biology. Granting patents for people who discovered those facts will restrict applied research ensuing from the discovery, even before its application potential becomes clear. It is not only unfair in the philosophy of modern law, but also jeopardizes free exchange of information as the basis of modern science. On the other hand, progress of the Japanese genome project has not been repid enough, simply because the program in the field of basic research does not provide prospects for big commercial profits, while pharmaceutical giants in Europe have reportedly started their own full-fledged research programs. Traditionally, the Japanese government, businesses and universities have all been aimed at being "the second best". This resulted in their lack of basic stance towards cutting-edge technologies. Thus the key to Japan's success in the biobusiness is in the hand of the nascent venture businesses. People in this field are encouraged to have enthusiasm to lead the research in an international scale.

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Turning the national universities into independent administrative corporations is now a foreseeable event in several years, since the Ministry of Education recently accepted the basic idea. The general law concerning the administrative corporations has already been established;the Ministry has just proposed a special law. But the Ministry's draft has much incongruence with the general law, and its intention is not likely to materialize in final legislation. The universities' reaction to the idea of independent administrative corporation has not been very vigorous. Judging from my own experience in lecturing on the subject in several campuses, many professors are against the idea, but few universities have gone so far to launch an opposing view publicly. National opinion does not seem either to be much interested in the issue. Such indifference is alarming in view of seriousness of the potential impact of the issue on the higher education and research. Indeed, it should be considered as a challenge to activities hitherto in the national universities.

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In October 1999, the Minister of Education proposed the drastic change of legal status of all 99 national universities from the current "governmental institutional establishments" to a new "independent administrative corporation" with legal person status(dokuritsu gyosei houjin)according to the overall administrative reform plan of the central government. Association of the National Universities has principally opposed against this plan. Although this change has been initiated by the political forces, however, the idea that the National university should have more autonomous status which is independent from the direct governmental control have been repeatedly proposed. This is the old and new problem which had proposed by faculty members of the Imperial University and mass media even since 1889, in the Meiji era, just after the founding of the University. After the WWII, in 1970s, Central Council of Education(Chukyoshin)proposed the idea of the same autonomous legal corporation, and OECD Examiners which reviewed Japanese educational policies in 1971, supported the idea, and Ad.Hoc.Commission for Educational Reform(rinkyoshin)in 1980s also proposed the similar corporation status. However, all these governmental plans have not been implemented due to strong oppositions from national universities, while national universities each time have not been successful in proposing strong, alternative idea, based on the consensus of the academic circles. Although it is not yet certain if this conflicts between governments and universities may result, the Minister of Education decided to the reform and Liberal Democratic Party principally supported the idea in June 2000, the resolution of this old but new important questions "what kind of legal status and institutional form should be most desirable?" requires the resolution of the most basic and fundamental question "what is the concept of the unibersity in the modern society, and what kind of missions should be conducted by the university? Unifortunately, it seems that both Japanese national universities and government have not yet built the raison d'etre of the existence of national university which is both understandable and accountable to the Japanese nation as a whole for the 21st century.

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The proposed reorganization of universities as independent administrative corporations is discussed in terms of academic autonomy and efficiency. While the independent administrative corporation is characterized by slim and efficient organization and independence, it is pointed out that it is not easily adapted as the principle of management for the university. However, academic autonomy is warranted only by the public commission to create values in future. The present situation where the universities have not effectively responded to this requirement justifies the reorganization as an opportunity for reform. Specific problems to reform are discussed. The present General law is in conflict with the essence of academic autonomy which lies in freedom of research and education, as well as financial and personnel independence. It is pointed out that the autonomy in education and research should be guaranteed by a special law. Academic reform also needs personnel management system that may not be fully compatible with the present Government Officials Law. The author finally presents his own proposal on the national universities as a single legal person, and asserts that more public expenditure is needed for higher education.

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The present administrative reform involves restructuring of governmental agencies in the largest scale after WWII. Its implication on science and technology policy in the next century is also important. In the specific field of science and technology, the reform will result in (1)establishment of a General Council on Science and Technology, (2)Unification of the Science and Technology Agency and the Ministry of Education, and (3)restructuring of national research institutes into independent administrative corporations. The present paper describes specifically the functions of the General Council on Science and Technology according to information from the Administrative Reform Committee, the Fundamental Law on Reform of Government Agencies, and the laws on establishment of government agencies. The items below are systematically described. -Historical:Proposal in the Administrative Reform Committee in August 1997. -Nature of the Council:Conceived as an institution to support Prime Minister's leadership;a "forum of wisdom" as different from ordinary councils. -Tasks:Study of and discussion on fundamental strategy and resource allocation for science and technology, evaluation of nationally important projects. -Membership:The Prime Minister, ministers concerned, directors general of agencies concerned, and experts. -Secretariat:Established in the Cabinet Office. -Coordination with other agencies:Generally by the Cabinet Office;coordination between government agencies by the Ministry of Education and Science.

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Communications Research Laboratory(CRL), a research institute of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications with more than 20 billion yen, has a long experience of an external audit system. CRL has drafted "CRL Vision 21", a basic plan for CRL to contribute to continuous development of the human society by research and development in the field of information and communication as one of the leading institutions in the world. CRL is to be restructured as an independent administrative corporation in April 2001. This reform should relax the present restrictions imposed on CRL as a national research institute, thus promoting autonomy and flexibility as a research orgenization. It will also require a system that assumes accountability to the society. For this purpose, various measures are under planning, including appropriate legislation;implementation of business-oriented accountant system, external evaluation and an advisory board;and renovation in the top management and organizational structure. Although the reform will maintain the present personnel management system for government officials, it should be recognized that the new CRL should have sufficient flexibility for activities in the repidly changing field of information and communication.

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われわれは日本のTVゲームソフト産業のダイナミズムは産業クラスターの視点からの分析によって可能になると考え, 先行論文で東京ゲームソフト・クラスターを提案した。本論文ではなぜクラスターが併存することになったのかについて実証分析を行なった。産業クラスターの形成要因としては関連教育機関による開発支援環境の有無, マーケティング情報を入手するためのゲームソフト量販店に対する近接度, 加えて, 放送局, 出版社など知的社会インフラによって構成される開発環境の重要性に着目している。興味深いのは, ゲームソフト企業の母体企業がデジタルコンテンツに適した開発環境に立地する場合であり, 多角化企業とベンチャー企業は同一地域に密集して立地する。ここでは, 開発に関係する情報がリアルタイムで密度高く交換され, 高度化した情報環境は開発者のコミュニティの質を向上させる。良好な開発環境においてクラスターの中核が形成されると, 活性化された情報環境はさまざまな企業のクラスターへの集中化を測深しその形成を加速する。本論文では, このような現象が現在, 山手線クラスターにおいて進行中であることを示した。さらに述べれば, 近年, 同南部クラスターの勢いが強くなりつつあるのが現状である。

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企業活動がグローバル化し, 政策ニーズが多様化する経済環境において, 政府はより柔軟かつ迅速な政策対応が求められており, 新しい政策意思決定メカニズムを構築することを要求されている。特に科学技術政策のように, 政府と民間企業の協調的関係, 競争的関係が交錯している政策分野においては, 年々その要求は強くなっていった。この中で, 情報科学技術分野のように, 急速なイノベーションが起こっている分野では, 政府は, 効果的な技術戦略を策定することが必要となり, これに合わせた科学技術振興策を構築していかなければならない。本稿では, 産業構造変化が激しいとみなされる情報科学技術分野の対応を取りあげ, 科学技術政策における政府の意思決定構造変化について論じる。

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