Skyline of Tokyo’s Shinjuku commercial district. WIKIMEIDA, MORIO
Japanese scientists have expressed serious concerns about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s proposal to create a Japanese version of the National Institutes of Health that would coordinate research efforts across several ministries. Abe’s Growth Strategy—a plan for kick starting the country’s economic growth—includes an emphasis on expanding “the commercialization of innovative medical technologies.” The plan also calls for revising regulations to speed the approval of new drugs and medical devices, as well as changes to patent law and tax incentives to spur research commercialization.
A day before the draft plan was released last week, the heads of more than 50 life-science academic societies released a statement supporting the creation of an NIH-like funding agency to support biomedical research. However, the society chiefs also expressed concerns about ...
