Facts and figures

The island nation of Japan is an archipelago of more than 14,000 islands including the five main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa. Mountainous regions including hilly terrain accounts for about three-quarters of its total area of 377,974 square kilometres.¹

A parliamentary constitutional monarchy, Japan has a technology-driven economy and is a major exporter with a large proportion of high value-added products manufactured with advanced technology.¹

Japan has 810 universities including graduate schools, in addition to numerous technical and specialized training institutions and a network of national research institutes including RIKEN, a National Research and Development Agency, and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. As of May 2023, there were 2.95 million students enrolled in Japanese universities.² The University of Tokyo is the nation’s oldest, founded in 1876.³

Total expenditure on research and development (R&D) in the fiscal year 2023 was 3.7% of Gross Domestic Product. The total of 22 trillion Yen (approximately Euro 136 billion) was 6.5 per cent higher than the preceding year and the highest ever.⁴

The business sector accounted for 73% of total R&D expenditure, universities and colleges 18%, and the non-profit and public sector 9%.⁴ More than 940,000 people in Japan were employed in R&D work in 2022.⁵

Japan ranked 3^rd globally in the number of patent applications filed in 2023, with a total of 414,479 applications, including 228,936 domestic applications, which was a rise of 4.6% over the previous year.⁶

Japan’s science, technology and innovation policy is set every five years, with the current Sixth Basic Plan commencing in 2021. The Plan identifies the key role of science and technology in tackling global issues including climate and global security concerns, and in delivering benefits to every citizen.⁷

Public funding for research is available through the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency.⁸ EMBO and the JSTA signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2023. In May 2020, the European Union and Japan signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation in science, technology and innovation.