Members of the Cabinet on Tuesday hailed Yoshinori Ohsumi for winning the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and vowed to continue support for high-level research.
"The government will further strengthen its efforts for the sustained creation of innovation, a source of potential growth in the future, including by investing in research and development in a wide range of fields and cultivating talent," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
Hirokazu Matsuno, education and science minister, said that "we will strive to foster the development of young researchers, promote basic research and support professor Ohsumi's field of study."
The Tokyo Institute of Technology researcher's work focused on a mechanism by which cells break down and recycle their contents.
Yosuke Tsuruho, minister in charge of science and technology policy, said he wants to use information about the research environment that led to the award in order to tackle roadblocks to innovation in Japan.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko expressed anticipation for the further application of Ohsumi's work, saying the win "displayed both domestically and internationally the high level of basic research and technological development in Japan."
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki said the government wants to support research that leads to advances in the quality of medical care, while Defense Minister Tomomi Inada stressed the importance of using policy tools to support those currently engaged in education and research.