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Outline

1. Objective of the Survey of Research and Development

The survey is designed to provide basic materials for promoting science and technology in Japan, by studying the research and development (R&D) activities carried out in Japan.

2. Legal basis of the survey

The survey is conducted for the purpose of preparing "Fundamental Statistics" pursuant to the Statistics Act (Act No.53 of 2007).

With regard to conducting the survey, "Regulation of the Survey of Research and Development" (Prime Minister's Order No. 33 of 1981) was enacted.

3. History of the survey

The survey was initiated in August 1953 as the "Basic Statistical Survey of Research Institutions" (Designated Statistics No. 61), and renamed the present "Survey of Research and Development" in March 1960 with an extension of the coverage and a change in statistical units in the business sector.

1997 survey: The software industry was added.

1999 survey: The Supplemental Survey of R&D on Energy and Life Sciences was abolished.

2002 survey:

The survey coverage classification was changed from companies and research institutions to business enterprises and non-profit institutions and organizations.
The survey industry was extended to "wholesale trade" , "banking and trust" , "non- deposit money corporations engaged in the provision of finance, credit and investment (excluding governmental related financial institutions)" , "financial auxiliaries" , "securities and futures commodity transaction dealers and commodity investors" , "insurance institutions including insurance agents and brokers and insurance services institutions" , "data processing and information services" , "professional services" , "other business services" , and "scientific research institutions".
The survey date was changed from April 1 to March 31.
The survey items on "number of researchers who hold a Ph.D." , "number of researchers who joined or left" , "lease fees" in intramural expenditure on R&D, "ratio of persons engaged in R&D" (the figure obtained by multiplying the number of persons engaged in R&D by the hourly ratio for R&D), and "parent and affiliated companies" in technology exchange were added while the survey item of "expenditure on R&D by selected objective" was changed to "field by selected objective" based on priority fields in the Science and Technology Basic Plan.

2003 survey: Industrial classification of the result tables was revised based on the revision of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification in March 2002.

2008 survey: Industrial classification of the result tables was revised based on the revision of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification in November 2007. (The Japan Standard Industrial Classification revised in March 2002 was applied to the sampling.)
*2009 survey: The Japan Standard Industrial Classification revised in November 2007 was applied to the sampling.

2012 survey:

"Recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake", "promotion of green innovation" , "promotion of life innovation" in selected objective field were added in accordance with the Fourth Science and Technology Basic Plan (August 19, 2011, Cabinet decision).
The coverage for non-profit institutions and public organizations (Questionnaire B) was reorganized: public corporations and enterprises, and incorporated administrative agencies that were surveyed as business enterprises (Questionnaire A) were changed to non-profit institutions and public organizations (Questionnaire B).
"Psychology" and "information science" were added to specialties of researchers.

2014 survey:

"Net operating profits" was deleted from the survey items for business enterprises.
"Female" was added as a breakdown of the number of researchers who joined or left the organization.
"Expenditure on intangible fixed assets" was added as a breakdown of intramural expenditure on R&D.

2017 survey:

"Permanent researchers" was added as a breakdown of the number of persons employed in R&D for non-profit institutions and public organizations and universities and colleges in accordance with the fifth Science and Technology Basic Plan (January 22, 2016, Cabinet decision). "Natural sciences and engineering" and its four breakdowns("physical sciences", "engineering and technology", "agricultural sciences" and "medical sciences") were added as breakdowns of the number of newly hired researchers. "Medicine", "dentistry" and "pharmacy" were added as breakdowns of "medical sciences".
"Researchers who hold a Ph.D." was added as a breakdown of researchers who joined the organization for business enterprises and non-profit institutions and public organizations.
"Recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake", "promotion of green innovation" and "promotion of life innovation" in the selected objective fields were deleted from the survey items.
"Affiliated companies" added as a breakdown of the "Companies" to the sources of R&D funds and the R&D recipients for business enterprises.
The format of the result tables was changed from having "total" and "female only" categories to having "total","male" and "female" categories.

2020 survey: "Corporate Number" was added to the survey items in accordance with the "Master Plan Concerning the Development of Official Statistics" (March 6, 2018, Cabinet decision).

2023 survey:

The survey date was changed as of June 1 of each year.
Companies funded by universities and R&D corporations were added to the survey.
Each survey item was added or divided as follows.
-"Dispatched workers under the Worker Dispatching Act" was added as a breakdown of "number of persons employed in R&D."
-The number of doctoral students and other researchers who are employed by the university or college was added.
-"Land, Buildings, etc." in the surveyed category was divided into "Land" and "Buildings, etc."
-"Mathematics and Physics" in the surveyed category was divided into "Mathematics " and "Physics."
-"Artificial intelligence," "Biotechnology" and "Quantum technology" were added to "Expenditure on R&D by selected objective."
-"Any overlap among these objectives "including these eight existing objectives" was added.
-"Government agency" and "Private Non-Profit Organization" were added to the category of "rest of the world" in "R&D funds received" and "R&D funds paid outside."
-"Costs related to dispatched workers," which had been included in "Labour costs," were included as part of "other expenses."
-Handling of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research was changed.

4. Survey date

Capital is as of June 1 and, total number of persons employed is as of March 31, 2024, while financial statistics such as sales and R&D expenditure are reported for the fiscal year ending on March 31 or the latest settling day prior to March 31 of each year.

5. Coverage and the statistical unit

The survey covers business enterprises, non-profit institutions and public organizations, and universities and colleges as the following statistical units.

(1) Business enterprises

Enterprises

(2) Non-profit institutions and public organizations

Corporations, research institutions

(3) Universities and colleges

Faculties of universities and facilities (including postgraduate courses), organizations for junior colleges, technical colleges, research institutes attached to universities, inter-university research institute corporations and the National Institute of Technology.

6. Survey items

The following data are collected through three questionnaires: Questionnaire A for business enterprises, Questionnaire B for non-profit institutions and public organizations, and Questionnaire C for universities and colleges. Among business enterprises, Questionnaire A-I is used for those with capital of 100 million yen or more and Questionnaire A-II is used for those with capital of less than 100 million yen.

(1) Questionnaire A-I (for business enterprises)

Name
Location
Corporate Number
Present status of the business enterprise
Total number of persons employed
Capital
Sales
Technology balance of payments
Countries or territories and distinction or origin in technology exports and imports and their amounts
"Yes" or "no" on R&D activities
Number of persons employed in R&D (researchers, assistant research workers, technicians, clerical and other supporting personnel, and researchers who hold a Ph.D.)
Number of researchers who joined or left the business enterprise
Number of researchers by specialty (21 specialties)
Intramural expenditure on R&D (labour costs, materials, tangible fixed assets, intangible fixed assets, lease fees, other expenses), and depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Expenditure on R&D by type of activity (basic research, applied research and development)
Expenditure on R&D by product and service field (31 categories)
Expenditure on R&D by selected objective (life sciences, information technology, environmental science and technology, materials, nanotechnology, energy, space exploration, oceanology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum technology)
R&D funds received from public organizations, companies, private universities, nonprofit institutions and overseas institutions
R&D funds paid outside to public organizations, companies, private universities, nonprofit institutions and overseas institutions

(2) Questionnaire A-II (for business enterprises)

Survey items 1-15 in Questionnaire A-II are the same as survey items 1-15 in Questionnaire A-I.

Survey items 16 and 17 in Questionnaire A-II are the same as survey items 18 and 19 in Questionnaire A-I, respectively.

(3) Questionnaire B (for non-profit institutions and public organizations)

Name
Location
Corporate Number
"Yes" or "no" on R&D activities
Total number of persons employed
Total expenditure
Description of main operations and R&D activities
Names and locations of branches
Field of science of the main R&D activity (11 categories)
Number of persons employed in R&D (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
Number of researchers who joined or left the organization
Number of researchers by specialty (27 specialties)
Intramural expenditure on R&D (labour costs, materials, expenditure on tangible fixed assets, expenditure on intangible fixed assets, lease fees and other expenses)
Expenditure on R&D by type of activity (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
Expenditure on R&D by selected objective (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
R&D funds received (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
R&D funds paid outside (same as in Questionnaire A-I)

(4) Questionnaire C (for universities and colleges)

Name
Location
Corporate Number
Type of universities and colleges (university faculty, junior college, technical college, research institute attached to the university, inter-university research institute corporations and others)
Names and locations of branches
Field of science of the main R&D activity (12 categories)
Number of persons employed in R&D (regular researchers, including teachers, doctoral students, medical staff members and others; external non-regular researchers, assistant research workers, technicians, and clerical and other supporting personnel), and non-R&D personnel and researchers who hold a Ph.D, doctoral students and other researchers who are employed by the university or college.
Number of researchers who joined or left the institution
Number of regular researchers by specialty (44 specialties)
Total expenditure
Intramural expenditure on R&D (same as in Questionnaire B)
Expenditure on R&D by type of activity (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
Expenditure on R&D by selected objective (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
R&D funds received (same as in Questionnaire A-I)
R&D funds paid outside (same as in Questionnaire A-I)

(5) Questionnaire

7. Survey method

Questionnaires are mailed to sample respondents through a company entrusted by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The filled-in questionnaires are returned directly to the Bureau via mail or the Internet.

8. Sampling

(1) The business enterprises were divided into strata based on the existence of research activities (yes or no: 2 categories), capital (4 classes), and industries (40 categories), using the roster created based on the results of the previous survey of R&D and an Establishment Frame Database. The required number of business enterprises was selected from each stratum.

(2) The non-profit institutions and public organizations were surveyed using a list prepared based on reports from central ministries and local governments.

(3) All universities and colleges in Japan were surveyed using a list compiled with materials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

9. Number of samples and response ratio

The latest survey covered approx. 13,500 business enterprises, approx. 1,100 non-profit institutions and public organizations, and approx. 4,100 universities and colleges, for a total of approx. 18,700. The response ratio was 91% (87% of the business enterprises, 99% of the non-profit institutions and public organizations, 99% of the universities and colleges).

10. Estimation method

The estimation method for the figures for business enterprises is a ratio estimation with a benchmark of the business enterprises by capital, industry and performance of R&D (2 categories: performing R&D, and not performing R&D) in the previous survey estimated from an Establishment Frame Database.

11. Tabulation and publication

The completed questionnaires of the 2024 Survey of Research and Development were processed by the National Statistics Center, an incorporated administrative agency. The major tabulation points are as follows:

-Items related to expenditure on R&D
-Items related to the number of persons employed in R&D
-Items related to the international exchange of technology

The Statistics Bureau released the 2024 survey results on December 13, 2024.

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