1. Background, purpose, and meaning

1.1 Background

Japan is one of the leading countries in the fields of science and technology (S&T). Science and technology leveraged Japanese miraculous economic development after World War II, making Japan one of the top 3 economies on the global economic map. Japan is a typical example of the exceptional contribution of science and technology to its socio-economic development. In the 21st century, science and technology are becoming more and more important as humanity is facing severe issues on a global scale such as climate change, environmental pollution, exhaustion of natural resources, natural disasters and diseases. In such a context, Vietnam will also need to adopt advanced technologies from around the world, and utilize its domestic- and foreign-based experts and scientists to become a prosperous country.

In recent years, the number of Vietnamese people in Japan has been continuously increasing, with a remarkable number of them becoming experts in the wide-ranging fields of science and technology. This community is also increasingly engaged in, and beginning to make practical contributions to Vietnam. The Vietnamese Academic Network in Japan (VANJ), established in 2016, is a typical example of the growth of the Vietnamese expert community in Japan. These are the prerequisites for the introduction of this project.

1.2 Purpose

With the desire to provide useful information on Japanese science and technology to a large number of Vietnamese people living in Vietnam and abroad, VANJ officially launched a project to build a compendium “Introduction to Japanese Science and Technology”. This project is a non-profit project, expected to run for many years in the future, with the aim of periodic publications. These publications will be posted on VANJ’s channels and all content will be freely accessible to readers.

The compendium contents will not be limited to any single field of science but rather provide a comprehensive picture of Japanese S&T. The compendium, however, will focus specifically on areas of Japanese strengths and technologies that can solve the critical problems Vietnam is facing.

1.3 Meaning

 The achievements of the project will bring significant benefits to the Vietnamese people.

  • Students: Currently, Japan is an ideal destination for many Vietnamese students to study abroad. The database will provide the latest information on Japanese science and technology to help students choose their majors and schools before and after coming to Japan.
  • Researchers, scientists: The compendium will provide useful information for Vietnamese scientists to grasp the situation of science and technology in Japan, thereby promoting scientific research cooperation between the two countries.
  • Businesses: Information on the latest Japanese technologies in the compendium will help domestic enterprises in economic cooperation and technology transfer issues.
  • Agencies and ministries: The general picture of Japanese science and technology in this document will provide essential references to the development of S&T policies and policies in Vietnam.
  • Vietnamese experts and scientists in Japan: Participating in this compendium is an opportunity for Vietnamese experts working in Japan to make a direct contribution to Vietnam. Besides, this will allow each individual to expand their network, seek more opportunities to collaborate on research and technology development with peers.

2. Article criteria

The articles in the database are oriented to meet at least ONE of the following criteria:

  • Provide the overall picture and future trends of Japan’s S&T field, in comparison with other countries including Vietnam.
  • Introduce a typical research field or a technology that is the strength of Japan.
  • Introduce Japanese technologies that can be applied to solve problems in Vietnam.
  • Introduce information on research groups and research laboratories in Japan.
  • Introduce information on science and technology policies, models for scientific collaborations, examples of commercialization of the research results, management of patents and intellectual properties. 

Articles are not limited to any topics, but priority is given to Japan’s S&T strengths or those that are appropriate to the needs of Vietnam.

All information in the article must obey the following regulations:

  • Regulations on Plagiarism 
  • Regulations on Copyright 
  • Regulations on Information Privacy

3. Operation

  • Organizer: Vietnamese Academic Network in Japan (VANJ).
  • Authors: experts, scientists in different fields, regardless of nationality.
  • Sponsors: organizations and companies with the same opinion regarding the purpose and meaning of the project.
  • Finance:
    • Revenues: from VANJ budget and sponsored funding.
    • Expenses: royalties for authors, editorial expenses, and other expenses.

VANJ will contact and request the authors of the article(s) in the author’s specialized fields. Each individual can also propose to write an article contributing to the compendium (proposal link). The editorial board will select from the proposals those that meet the article criteria above. The articles will then be edited and included in the compendium, which will be officially published online on the website of VANJ. The above work process will be repeated in subsequent years: the organizer continues to list new topics to include in the database and call for respective authors. New articles will be edited and aggregated periodically (every six months or once a year) into the previous publication.

Important dates:

1/23/2023: official launch of the project

2/15/2023: deadline for receiving applications for writing articles

3/01/2023: announce the result of applications for writing articles

4/30/2023: deadline for submitting articles

4. Apply to write an article

The authors include (but are not limited to) scientists, doctoral students in universities, research institutes, and organizations related to science and technology and experts in companies.

– Apply for writing an article: Apply here (Basic information, abstract, CV)

– Sample article (Vietnamese): Download here

– Sample article (English): Download here

– List of fields planned to be introduced (Vietnamese, for reference only, articles on areas not on this list are very welcome): See here

5. Other information

– Language in use: Vietnamese. Authors who plan to write in Japanese or English should contact the Editorial Board at the email address below.

– Commercialization: the compendium will not be commercialized but will be provided to all audiences for free.

– Ownership: The ownership of the compendium belongs to VANJ.

If you have any questions, please send emails to the Editorial Board at jst@vanj.jp

Useful links