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JOINT
COMMUNIQUE
SIXTH U.S.-JAPAN JOINT HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE MEETING
ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
May 2, 1966, Washington DC
The U.S.-Japan
Joint High Level Committee (JHLC) met at the Pan American Health Organization
in Washington, DC on May 2, 1996. Dr. John H. Gibbons, Assistant to
the President for Science and Technology, led the U.S. delegation
and Mr. Hidenao Nakagawa, Minister of State for Science and Technology,
led the delegation from Japan.
This meeting was the sixth ministerial-level meeting to discuss matters
of importance and policy issues related to science and technology,
and included participation of the principal science and technology
agencies from the Untied States and Japan. The participants discussed
recent science and technology- related developments in both countries
and confirmed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation
in key areas.
Areas of the bilateral science and technology relationship that were
discussed included global environment, natural disaster reduction,
space, agriculture, human resource development and exchange, biomedicine
and life sciences, civil industrial technologies, energy and the environment,
and the global information infrastructure. Both sides also discussed
the synergies between cooperative activities in science and technology
and the U.S.-Japan Common Agenda.
The JHLC also discussed the recommendations of the Joint High Level
Advisory Panel (JHLAP), co-chaired by Norman Neureiter, Vice President
of Texas Instruments Asia, for the United States, and Prof. Wataru
Mori, Executive Member of the Council for Science and Technology,
for Japan. Both sides applauded JHLAP's thoughtful consideration of
opportunities for strengthening our bilateral relations in science
and technology. The JHLAP noted the importance of basic research and
researcher exchange to advancing the international pool of knowledge,
the growing influence of private sector high technology alliances
in the overall U.S.-Japan S&T relationship, the interaction between
S&T cooperation and other policy issues, the need for joint discussions
and planning early in the development of large-scale cooperative science
projects, the value of cooperating in the development of a global
information infrastructure, and the need for a reassessment of the
project administration under the S&T agreement.
Both sides expressed their support of a new Earthquake Disaster Mitigation
Partnership through which cooperation in science and technology will
enhance our ability to reduce the damage to communities caused by
earthquakes. The priority themes for cooperation include quantifying
the potential of future earthquakes; strengthening our ability to
estimate losses; testing basic theories of the earthquake source;
understanding near source motions, geological effects and structural
response; reducing the seismic risks posed by steel buildings; strengthening
evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings and infrastructure;
developing performance-based design methods; improving real-time seismic
information systems; and better controlling post-earthquake fires.
Both sides also concurred that the enhancement of systems for natural
disaster reduction, such as the Pan Pacific Disaster Watch Network,
should be promoted. With regard to the International Arctic Research
Center both sides agreed to discuss the concrete concepts of cooperation.
he two sides noted the successful collaboration that is underway to
better protect the earth's environment and improve our understanding
of the earth system through initiatives such as the Global Observation
Information Network, the Integrated Global Observing Strategy, and
the coral reefs initiative.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in space science
and the significance of continued support of the International Space
Station. Both sides also noted the importance of close communication
and coordination regarding Global Positioning System policy.
Regarding agricultural science and technology, both sides noted the
importance of research collaboration in the fields of sustainable
agriculture, global food supply and demand, and food science. Both
sides agreed on further exchanges of agricultural scientists and the
need to understand the agricultural research systems in both countries.
Both sides also discussed research cooperation on mad cow disease.
In the area of human resource development and exchange, both sides
noted the need to encourage young people to take a deeper interest
in science and technology. Both sides also noted the need to continue
promoting bilateral science and technology exchanges, in particular
exchanges of young researchers, noting Japan's increased contributions
to exchanges in the past year and recognizing that this is a long-term
challenge.
Both sides noted the progress made in cooperation in civil industrial
technologies and the success of the Intelligent Manufacturing System
program. Both sides noted the significant advances being made in machine
translation capabilities and confirmed their support of the Machine
Translation Center for Japanese Science and Technology Literature
at the U.S. Department of Commerce which employs translation software
developed in Japan. The close connection between trade and technological
cooperation was noted as was the importance of enhancing access to
scientific and technical information, especially the results from
bilateral projects.
The two sides noted the successful history of cooperation in biomedicine
and the life sciences and noted the value of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative
Medical Science Program. In particular, the two sides noted the value
of the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) taking into consideration
the hope expressed by the Board of Trustees of the HFSP that this
program be included in the agenda of the G-7. Both sides also recognized
the importance of working together in the emerging and re-emerging
infectious disease area, under the framework of the U.S.-Japan Common
Agenda.
In energy and the environment, both sides noted the growing importance
of collaboration in these areas to meet the global challenges of the
future. It was noted that a substantial history of cooperative activities
has developed between our countries, crossing a wide range of technologies
in energy efficiency and energy conversion. Both sides recognized
that continued development of the International Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor was important and that strategies for supporting its continued
development would be explored.
The two sides concurred that there were many areas of synergy and
potential synergy between cooperation in science and technology and
the Common Agenda. Both sides decided to continue examining ways of
enhancing the complementarity between Common Agenda activities and
cooperative S&T activities.
Both sides confirmed the need to facilitate the development and use
of research information networks, noting the great progress that has
occurred internationally this year. It was noted that in the rapidly
advancing environment of electronic communications, machine translation
possesses substantial promise for facilitating communication between
U.S. and Japanese scientists and engineers. Both sides reaffirmed
the importance of the Global Information Infrastructure Initiative.
Finally, both sides decided to begin discussion regarding the renewal
of the bilateral Science and Technology Agreement which is due to
expire in 1998, with the goal of improving the effectiveness and efficiency
of U.S.-Japan cooperation. Both sides also decided to consider the
proposal for consolidating the timing of the Working Level and High
Level Committee meetings, and it was agreed that the High Level Committee
would convene again in about one year. [end]
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