The biggest and best scientific drilling ship ever is being built in Japan. It won't be ready for research until late 2006 at the earliest, but researchers around the world are already planning how to use it. The country had to dig deep to find the ¥60 billion (US$550 million) for the ship, Chikyu, and the annual maintenance and operation costs are estimated at a further ¥6 billion.

The prospect of drilling holes down to the Earth's mantle is exciting scientists, but Japan is neglecting the more mundane preparatory seismic surveys of the sea floor. These surveys are essential for the scientific and operations committees of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which allocate time on research drilling cruises, including those on the Chikyu. The survey data are used to judge the scientific merit, environmental impact and safety of proposals. Last week the IODP's science committee met in Japan to prioritize projects for 2005–6 (see page 795). These people are no pushovers; scrimping on survey data will not go unnoticed.

Even more troublesome is the neglect of human resources. When Japan became a full partner in the IODP in October 2003, the number of slots for Japanese researchers on each cruise rose from about 12 to 100 per year. But there have been no new faculty positions or student fellowships to exploit this opportunity. Japan is already having difficulty filling its slots on the committees that form the core of the IODP's decision-making. And Japan's only academic oceanographic research centre, the University of Tokyo's Ocean Research Institute, recently implemented a budget cut that cost five faculty positions.

Japanese researchers did well at last week's meeting. Two IODP projects to study the Nankai Trough were ranked second and third in priority. These projects had been developed over several years with seismic studies included. They were finely honed. But researchers fear that similar groundwork is not being laid for future missions.

In industry, roughly 15% of the total drilling costs goes on site surveying. On that basis, Japan should spend at least US$10 million per year. The United States, an equal partner in the IODP, spends at least this much, and some estimates put its annual support for various IODP activities at more than $30 million per year.

Yet Japan currently has no funds allocated for seismic surveys, although the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center has funding for its own operations. Some researchers have proposed the creation of a funding framework like that in United States, but in the meantime, those hopeful of getting money for seismic surveys have to apply for competitive grants in an open field. The $5 million or so needed for each survey is beyond the scope of such grants.

Japan has a history of buying expensive equipment, such as atomic force microscopes, but not of budgeting for the technicians needed to use it effectively. Frustrated researchers will tell you that the heads of their institutes and bureaucrats simply want to spend big budgets on devices they can show off, without following through to make sure that the science gets done. Too often, machines just sit idle.

This won't happen with Chikyu. Researchers from the United States, the European Union and China, among others, are competing for time on the ship. As last week's meeting showed, the slots will go to those who do their homework before coming to class. One way or another, Japan needs fully to support the science, so its scientists can take the leadership role they deserve.