Early signs are that this week’s floods in western Japan, for all their terrible human cost, have had only a small economic impact, though the affected regions are manufacturing centres. Meanwhile, the area around Tokyo has been anointed the most innovative in the world. We caution against complacency: many trends are heading in the wrong direction and the nation’s scientific output isn’t as impressive as it used to be. One reason is that the government doesn’t spend enough on education and research.
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