Japan's science budget

We believe the path Japan should take is to provide a good research environment here for scientists from across the world rather than competing against other countries.

I have no idea how the promised ¥5 trillion per year compares to the existing spend, but the fact that they are boasting about it hopefully means it's good news (at least, not bad news in the context of general spending cuts). The financial situation of our lab has seemed a little shaky recently (in fact that's pretty much the story of my career - no sooner do I start work in a new job, than the lab budget leaks away). So I'll not get too excited yet. But our campus does seem to be an excellent example of a "good research environment here for scientists from around the world", with its numerous foreign staff, long-term visitors (eg) and hosting of various international meetings.