International communication is supported by steady efforts of students of languages. It was a good news that Dr. Makoto Nagao was awarded with STFJ's Japan Prize 2005 for his contribution to machine translation, an important tool for overcoming the language barrier. While being already commercialized in some fields such as translation of scientific and technological documents, the technology needs further development for more general applications, and will never be almighty. Yet machine translation is expected to help not only international communication but also our understanding of language.

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This paper introduces the objectives and activities of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Group (STIPG), which is a division composed of 124 registered members in the JSSPRM. The domain of the STIPG includes the science, technology and innovation (STI) policies in Japan as well as those in foreign countries that could be of interest in terms of the comparative studies. The STIPG was established in 1986 just after the foundation of the society and was reorganized into the current direction in 1999. Since then, two series of research meetings have been held: a "key person series" consisting of the meetings where principal officials in the STI policy formation and execution institutions are invited to speak and a "watcher network series" consisting of the meetings that aim at networking of the investigators on the STI policies and systems of the foreign countries in our STI community. In the current situation, such as the segmentation of the policy businesses and the specialization of the research topics, it is important to communicate between the policy makers and the researchers beyond their routine businesses and to have a comprehensive view on the STI system. Also, it is critical to be well informed even about the natures and characteristics of the foreign countries and regions in order to have a proper understanding of those STI systems and to implement them into the Japanese systems. To fulfill those functions, the STIPG intends to be a common place for sharing information on the STI policy systems and state of affairs and the emerging and probable issues in the STI policy community. In the knowledge-based society, the STIPG is also expected to form still a "place of circulating and interacting profound and logical knowledge on theories and practices" on the STI policies in future. Finally, some proposals on the division system of the society are also raised.

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The purpose of the International Issues Group, established in 1986, is to discuss issues in the science and technology (S&T) policy of Japan in the increasingly global S&T environment with experts both in Japan and from abroad. The Group organizes monthly Evening Forum since 1999. The basic scope of the Group is review and comparison of S&T policies and management of technology (MOT) in different countries. Specific topics discussed hitherto include: (1) future of Japan's S&T against the background of S&T policies in Europe, America and Asia (in the 1980s), (2) proposed prescriptions for reactivation of the Japanese economy after the "bubble economy" period, taking the U.S. surpassing Japan again into account (in the 1990s), and (3) prospect of contribution to the reactivation of global economy in an information age in terms of interactive progress of innovation and institutional systems (in the early 2000s). It is recognized that the Japanese MOT system has been transformed to a new form by accumulated efforts of both public and private sectors during the "lost decade" of the 1990s. The new form is not an easygoing copy of the Western system, but should be directed to a new fusion of the East and the West based on insight into the strength and weakness of the systems existing in Japan. The Group will continue to commit itself to the academic responsibility of our time in and outside Japan on this basis.

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The Human Resources Group has been active since the foundation of JSSPRM in response to the importance of human resources in corporate activities, particularly in R&D. The basic form of our activity is lectures by experts in the human resources issue, followed by discussion sessions. All participants are required to make self-introduction before the session. Usually the lecturer is invited to a party after the formal session, where discussion is continued in a more relaxed atmosphere. Self-introduction is effective for better communication among the participants and enlivening discussion, thus making the session something more than a mere one-way lecture. Lecturers are so chosen as to represent a variety of backgrounds; so far they included, for example, personnel officers from big businesses, SME executives, and academic researchers specialized in human resources development.

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Evaluation of research in Japan for each of the first half and the second half of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s is surveyed through the activity of the research evaluation study group. Evaluation of research in universities, design of evaluation of research in the transition processes of the national research institutes into the independent research agencies, evaluation of research in the Japanese industries, the activity of bibliometrics study subgroup are reported.

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The purpose of the Research Behavior and Research Organization Group is to discuss practical problems for R&D managers from such viewpoints as strategy evaluation, organization rejuvenation, and product development. The increasingly severe competition is reflected in the polarization of corporate performance. This means severer responsibility of top managements, including that for R&D outcomes. Such situations have raised interest in more exact quantitative evaluation of intellectual assets which will permit better understanding of innovation mechanisms and improve accountability toward shareholders. The four reports cited describe, among others, how the serendipity of researchers comes closer to reality by collaboration of the R&D and marketing sector, instead of simplistic reliance on product performance, as well as by communication of researchers who have original ideas with the general public; how flexible exploitation of intellectual properties to grab opportunities ensures superiority in the market; and how important multidisciplinary collaboration and synthesis will be in R&D activities. Excellent companies always have a mechanism to realize novel products, and the capability of establishing such a mechanism is the essential source of its strength. The Group will continue to study such mechanisms in innovative organizations.

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JSSPRM was established in 1985, ten years after Shogo Sakakura first introduced MOT to Japan in 1973 and about ten years later, the JSSPRM was established in 1985. Ten more years later, he organized this MOT Study Group with Dr. Akio Kameoka in October 1995. The Group meetings have been held almost every month for ten years since April 1996, and the 100th memorial meeting will be given in September 2006. The Group published in February 1998 a summary report of its research activities up to that time along with discussions under the title of "Toward Systematization of MOT for the Future". The present article reviews the historical background of the Group, summarizes the report mentioned above, discusses historical development of issues, and finally suggests future orientation of the Group. The most important issue for future MOT, is to prove its practical usefulness for the industry, with multifarious approaches in various fields. The next 100th meeting in September 2006, will include a panel discussion on "Development and Prospects of Practically Useful MOT".

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Regional Science and Technology Policy Group has organized regularly "Regional Cluster Seminars" in Tokyo and Tohoku districts since 2003 for information exchange and discussion among researchers and professionals both in Japan and from other countries. In addition to discussion of specific case examples from the region, cooperation of Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) and National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) has enabled the Tokyo sessions to provide up-to-date policy information by appropriate officials of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition, the Tokyo Science and Technology Diplomat's Circle was helpful in inviting foreign lecturers and participation of embassy officials. The 21 sessions since 2003 have attracted researchers, public officials and experts from the private sector nationwide, thus contributing to expansion of human networks. The Tohoku sessions started with the cooperation of the Tohoku Branch of Development Bank of Japan, and has since attracted more co-sponsors. Case examples from other countries were added to the topics last year. An informal meeting after the session provides a valuable opportunity for closer communication with the lecturer and among the participants. An important purpose of the Tohoku sessions of the Group is to be a key player in the regional cluster.

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The principal activities of the Group are visiting innovative companies and research institutes, interviewing relevant staff members, and discussing technologies and management methods involved. Direct contact with leader in their workplaces gives us insight into implicit knowledge and know-how accumulated in the field, and suggests problems to be addressed in the future. Such opportunities have contributed for member from different industries to share problems and prospects, as well as to expand human networks. Contact with pioneering cases and leading figures in innovation is even more important today, since the importance of innovation and growth strategy has been recognized anew in the economic recovery.

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Science and technology (S&T) are fundamental to evolution of enterprises, communities, countries, and the global society. R&D and S&T management are, therefore, the most important management tasks on the corporate and national levels. The belief that Japan in the 21st century necessitates studies on these management problems, accumulation of outcomes of such studies, and their exploitation through communication with parties interested, led to the establishment of JSSPRM in Tokyo on October 31, 1985. Discussions for the subsequent two years concluded that a branch in the Kansai district was highly desirable for enhancing the society's activities, leading to the establishment of the Kansai Branch on October 1, 1987. The branch has since been active for 19 years in exploring "desirable R&D scheme for the 21st Century", in accordance with Article 3 of the Society's regulation. More specifically, the focus of our interest has been enhancing the country's intellectual presence and competitiveness to improve Japan's reputation, to strengthen the national security, and to achieve safe and happy lives of the nationals. Proposal of basic policy for this purpose will require better understanding of geopolitics and philosophical viewpoint, associated in particular with the Oriental philosophy. Our activities will be continued along these lines.

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The research centered on finding efficient means by which technology-based regional firms can procure funds from financial institutions, for use in their efforts to expand into new fields, acquire intellectual property, and subsequently use those in an effective manner. "Intellectual property finance", as this is termed, is functioning less well than it might at present, largely because of an asymmetry of information. For this project, the researchers focused on precisely the business strategies and management systems of companies and financial institutions, conducting a survey of a large number of companies and banks by means of questionnaires, together with selective personal interviews. They identified three reasons for the imperfect functioning of intellectual property finance: (1) a perception gap between regional banks and regional companies; (2) the failure of regional companies' intellectual property to reliably lead to improved performance; and (3) inadequate skills and experience in intellectual property finance, and substantial credit risk, on the part of regional banks. To improve the functioning of intellectual property finance, the researchers proposed that (1) regional companies decide workable tactics for utilizing technologies and intellectual property, linking them with business strategies and (2) regional banks establish sections in charge of intellectual property finance and re-examine the ways to evaluate technologies and intellectual property of customers' firms.

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The process of progress of molecular biology sciences was discussed through the quantitative and qualitative changes of papers appeared in the J. Mol. Biol.. Further, the discovery process and the spread process of recombinant DNA technology were discussed through the changes of numbers of cited paper and patent. Finally, the obtained results were compared with the model of paradigm. It became clear that the development process of molecular biology science was not monotonous, but the ups and downs. Two active periods appeared in the year between 1960 and 1974 and the year after 1990. It was also found that the main theme of research was different between two active periods and transferred from DNA to protein. The discovery of recombinant DNA technology consisted of three results of the past research. It was concretely shown by the flow of cited papers that these three facts were connected with many results of the past. It was found that some of various fragmentary knowledge and technologies of the past and the creative concepts were combined and then the new discovery was yielded. It was found from the changes of numbers of cited paper and patent that the recombinant DNA technology was diffused rapidly over the fundamental and applied area. The process of progress of molecular biology science could be fundamentally interpreted as the paradigm model and the normal science proposed by T. S. Kuhn, and the mechanism of progress of the normal science became clear in detail.

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Recently, the valuation of intangible assets, such as patents, has been an important technique for an R&D strategy. A citation analysis is proposed for the valuation. The citation analysis is a method in which a patent is considered valuable in accordance with the large number of citing documents. Particularly, a cocitation analysis is focused for the valuation. While the co-citation analysis is of great interest as the valuation method, the co-citation analysis is not examined fully and does not define any frameworks. Consequently, the co-citation analysis has not analyzed citation data. Therefore, we enhance the co-citation analysis and propose frameworks of the patent valuation. The first purpose of the present research is to detect the patent cluster indicating significant value by clustering the patents properly. The second purpose of the present research is to evaluate technology progress and obsolescence by analyzing transition of the patent value.

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Research and development related budget can be described on the coordinate of which the one axis is R&D phases (e.g. pure basic research, applied research, etc.) and the other is the decision level of kickoff (bottom-up/top-down). This coordinate can be used as a tool for a grand design of R&D policies. Politically driven areas, such as IT technology, can be placed on the top-down & non-pure basic research quadrant, and the management concept for promotion for such areas should be "prioritization". On the other hand, pure science research in universities can be placed on the bottom-up & pure basic research quadrant, and the management concept should be "diversity". This paper discusses the usefulness of the tool.

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