ABSTRACT
What is your image of Japan? Wherever you live in the world, you are likely to find Japanese brand automobiles and electronics. From the outside, Japan might appear to be a nation on the cutting-edge of technology. That image is accurate to some extent; Japan’s techno-nationalism (Samuels 1994) has guided its policymakers to invest in technological development for the betterment of Japanese society since its modern governmental system was institutionalized in the nineteenth century. The category of “researcher” is consistently one of the most highly ranked occupations among children’s “dream” jobs (Kuraray 2015). The Fifth National Science and Technology Five-year Plan, which was approved by the cabinet in January of 2016, directs the national government to spend JPY 26 trillion (about USD 215 billion) on science and technology over the next five years, which is approximately equivalent to the government’s defense budget.
