Posts Tagged ‘science’

Should Japanese Scientists Leave Japan?

NTV’s “Bankisha” takes a look at the state of scientific research in Japan following the Nobel Prize win of professors Akira Suzuki (Hokkaido University) and Eiichi Negishi (Purdue University):

• Of the 15 Japanese who won Nobel prizes for achievements in science or literature, six have made their careers in the United States.

• Young Japanese scientists and grad students in the sciences tend to agree that America is number one when it comes to scientific research. There is more research grant money to go around and researchers are allowed much more freedom to spend that money. [Many of those interviewed were students at MIT, so they had already made the choice to go to America.]
• One Japanese researcher at Purdue says that competition is fierce in America and there is constant pressure on researchers to show results for their work.
• At Japanese universities, younger researchers face restrictions on research funding. The annual research stipends are often less than the cost of basic lab equipment.
• The DPJ-led Japanese government has cut funding to technological research programs. It is the first funding cut in 17 years, and it has made young Japanese scientists very pessimistic about their future prospects. [ Cue clip of budget review panelist and DPJ lawmaker Renho aggressively demanding to know "what is wrong with Japan being second place" in high tech research. ]
• Over the last decade, scientific research spending by the Chinese government has skyrocketed, and it continues to grow.

• Many of the young Japanese scientists interviewed by the program want to go abroad to conduct research, but statistics show that the number of Japanese researchers who go abroad is in decline. Many fear that going abroad will make it hard for them to find employment if they ever choose to return to Japan. Japanese research institutions have a very limited number of job openings, and seem to favor people who have stayed in Japan.
• Prominent scientists such as Professor Negishi are very concerned about the lack of young Japanese researchers who are seeking the opportunity to study and work outside of Japan.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japanese Demaeki vs. Roller Coaster

In the cramped and crowded cities of Japan, most fast food delivery shops rely on motorcycles or mopeds to deliver their food. To keep food from spilling or getting messed up, delivery bikes are equipped with a stabilizing device called a demaeki (出前機). As bikes twist and turn, the demaeki keeps food from tipping over and spilling.

Here is a clip from a TV show that tested to see if a demaeki could prevent a bowl of noodles from spilling on a roller coaster ride:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

The power of wind

FTV’s typhoon-related news coverage included this experiment demonstrating how strong winds can knock stuff over:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Illegal fishing – Koreans violate Japanese territorial waters

ATV reports on the growing problem of South Korean vessels that are illegally fishing in Japanese territorial waters:

South Korean fishermen have depleted their own coastal waters, so now many are sneaking into Japanese waters to catch more crabs and eel. Some are caught and have to pay fines, but the rewards are so great that they just go back and continue their illegal activities.

Japanese coast guard vessels can easily spot buoys that fishermen usually use to mark the location of traps, so the Korean fishermen use their GPS systems instead. There are also fishermen who sometimes cut or abandon their nets in order to quickly flee from authorities. This creates a risk that they may be lost and become “ghost fishing nets,” which do considerable environmental damage.

The area shown in the news report is off the coast of Shimane Prefecture, a poor area of Japan with little industry other than fishing. The illegal activities of South Korean fishermen and South Korea’s refusal to abide by a 1999 agreement to allow Japanese fishermen into the waters around the Korean-occupied Liancourt Rocks have made the local government very frustrated. Under these circumstances, Shimane has been quite vocal regarding the territorial dispute with Korea.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)