Signal Japan's seventh basic plan targets 60 trillion yen of public R&D and backs regional research universities

Summary

The plan reports that Japan is pursuing a full rebuild of its social innovation system through its seventh Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan for 2026 to 2030. The Japanese plan pursues a revival of science through the fusion of AI and science, a stronger ecosystem of universities, startups and regions, and stronger cross-ministry coordination by the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. It sets five-year R&D investment targets of 60 trillion yen from government and 180 trillion yen from public and private sources, doubling the government target and raising the combined target by half compared with the sixth plan. Separately, Japan created a growth strategy council under the prime minister in November 2025 and selected 17 strategic fields and 61 products and technologies in March 2026. Through the J-PEAKS block funding programme, Japan supports 25 regional research universities with 5.5 billion yen each over five years, alongside efforts to revive Kyushu as a silicon island.