Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) has submitted public comments on the Cabinet Office’s published draft for “the 7th Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan” (hereinafter, “the 7th Basic Plan”).

The 7th Basic Plan looks ahead to 2035 and sets out the overall direction of Japan’s science, technology, and innovation policy for the next five years, while also outlining the policy measures the Government should undertake. The Cabinet Office collected public comments on the draft discussed by the Expert Committee on the Basic Plan under the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, from Thursday, February 5 to Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The draft identifies responses to global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease measures, energy transition, food security, and biodiversity/natural capital, as key issues. Given the complex and interconnected nature of these challenges, it is essential to advance cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary R&D (Research and Development) and policy development from a planetary health perspective, which focuses on the interlinkages between Earth’s environment and human health. In addition, the draft’s emphasis on “convergence knowledge,” which calls for bringing together and integrating all forms of knowledge including the humanities and social sciences, provides an important foundation for clearly positioning integrated domains at the intersection of the natural environment and human health.

Given this context, HGPI proposed the following points in its submission:

Key points of the public comment

• Explicitly incorporate the planetary health perspective in the section describing global challenges
• Position interdisciplinary domains such as planetary health and One Health as concrete examples of “convergence knowledge”
• Under drug discovery and medical-related technologies, specify technologies for forecasting, assessing, and adapting to health impacts driven by climate change and environmental change
• Under bio/healthcare-related technologies, include planetary health-related technologies that contribute to low-carbon, resource-circulating, sustainable, and resilient health systems
• In the context of “Science for Diplomacy,” specify knowledge-sharing on planetary health and global standardization of climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, among others
• In the section on protecting “global commons,” referring to the planetary resources and spaces shared by all humanity, provide additional description about promoting transdisciplinary and international R&D and co-creation of knowledge, recognizing that climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and other factors have compounding impacts on human health and well-being

HGPI will continue to contribute to advancing planetary health through policy proposals and collaboration with relevant organizations, by providing insights and promoting dialogue.

Please note that the call for public comment has already closed. For the PDF of the 7th Basic Plan draft, please click here.
* Japanese only