The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science was founded in 1932 as a non-profit foundation through an endowment granted by Emperor Shōwa. JSPS became a quasi-governmental organization in 1967 under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, and after 2001 under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In 2003, JSPS entered a new phase with its conversion to an Independent Administrative Institution. This new administrative configuration is intended to become a step towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of JSPS's management, which in turn should help to improve the quality of the services which are offered to individual researchers, universities, and research institutes.
Timeline
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science has expanded and evolved over time:
1932 - JSPS is established as a non-profit foundation, endowed by Emperor Shōwa
1933 - First University-Industry Cooperative Research Committee is organized
1950 - First issue of Gakujutsu Geppo is published
1959 - JSPS fellowship program for young Japanese scientists is inaugurated
1960 - JSPS program for inviting foreign researchers to Japan is commenced
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science plays a pivotal role in the administration of a wide spectrum of Japan's scientific and academic programs. In world, it is the highest amount of funding available to postdoctoral fellows. Over this 70-year period, JSPS has initiated, implemented and administered an array of domestic and international scientific programs. JSPS's operation is supported in large part by annual subsidies from the Japanese Government. Its main functions are:
To support scientific cooperation between the academic community and industry, and
To collect and distribute information on scientific research activities.
Publications
A number of publications are made available under the imprimatur of JSPS:
Gakujutsu Geppo, a monthly magazine containing scientific readings and articles on Japanese science policy and on scientific activities and research trends in governmental and academic organizations in Japan.
Information re: Japanese universities, research institutions, and their various research activities.
