The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (文部科学省, Monbu-kagaku-shō, lit. 'Ministry of Letters and Science') is one of the eleven ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the government of Japan.[1] Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community.[2][3] The ministry is responsible for funding research under its jurisdiction, some of which includes: children's health in relation to home environment,[4] delta-sigma modulations utilizing graphs,[5] gender equality in sciences,[6] neutrino detection which contributes to the study of supernovas around the world, and other general research for the future.[7]
The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871.[8] In January 2001, the former Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and the former Science and Technology Agency (科学技術庁, Kagaku-gijutsu-chō) merged to become the present MEXT.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology currently is led by the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology. Under that position is two state ministers, two parliamentary vice-ministers, and administrative vice-minister, and two deputy ministers. Beyond that the organization is divided as follows.[1]
The Minister's Secretariat is the department that manages general policies that affect the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a whole. These functions include many administrative jobs such as auditing policies, community relations, and overall human resource management for domestic and international relations alike.
The Director-General for International Affairs, according to Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's site, is the main point of contact between Japan's National Commission and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The collective goal of the two organizations is to create mutual, sustainable development through education, science, and culture.
The Department of Facilities Planning and Disaster Prevention is in charge of focusing on the ability of school facilities to reduce damage caused by disasters such as earthquakes. On top of this, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's site, also describes part of their duties as promoting universities' endeavors in educational and research activities.