WASHINGTON - Japan, under pressure to open its labs to outsiders, may soon be inviting more than 300 additional foreign researchers, under programs approved last month by the nation's Finance Ministry.
During a visit here last month, Prime Minister Noboru Takeashita offered $4.4 million to help finance long-term visits by U.S. scientists to Japan's government university and industrial labs. He suggested that the National Science Foundation pick the recipients.
Charles T. Owens, a Japan specialist at NSF, said the funds would be sufficient to provide fellowships for between 75 and 125 U.S. investigators, depending on how long they planned to stay in Japan.
In addition, several Japanese agencies have included money in their 1988 budget requests to support research by foreigners. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, for example, plans to provide fellowships for 50 Americana and 50 Europeans. The Science and Technology Agency intends to support 100 foreign ...
