The aim of the program is to determine factors related to the supply and demand for information both from Japan to Asian countries as well as from Asian countries to Japan.

Seven sub-programs were carried out during the second half of fiscal 1995:

1. International workshop, WAINS 2, was held on December 13, 1995 with more than 30 experts participating from Thailand and Japan.
2. The number of Japanese researchers in Japan on Thailand or Thai-related subjects were estimated from the NASCSIS database to be 225.
3. A questionnaire survey was carried out by mail on information demands of Japanese researchers on Thailand and about 120 returned questionnaires were analyzed.
4. A proto-type database was designed for inclusion in the directory of researcher which is accessible on the WWW in the design.
5. A proposal was made to set up a scheme of monitoring NACSIS services overseas (especially of NACSIS-IR).
6. Technical visits were made to university libraries in Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong in January 1996 by six staff members of NACSIS.
7. An installation guide for a Thai browser was put on the NACSIS Home Page (http:// www.nacsis.ac.jp)

The program will complement the preceding research project "NACSIS-Thai Project", a part of the research program of Dr. K. Ono's "Study on International Exchange of Academic Information," which is a grant-in-aid research by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan for the years 1994/96.

These programs, lead by Dr. Ono, are also to another program, "Study on Supply and Demand of Japanese Scholarly Information Abroad," a grant-in-aid research by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan for the year 1995/97 lead by Professor Hitoshi Inoue, Deputy Director General.

The technical visits in January 1996 were made to Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University in Bangkok, National Singapore University, Singapore National Library Board, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and City University of Hong Kong. Thanks are due to the directors and staff of these libraries.

The results of the Asian Information Survey Program will be reflected in the planning the overseas extension of NACSIS services especially to Asian countries by developing an international network linking the region.

As NACSIS linked up with NECTEC, Thailand with a 2 Mbps communication circuit in September 1995, the scope of the program focused on Thailand in the first phase. The exchange program between research institutions in Thailand and NACSIS is being enhanced to include experimental use of NACSIS databases from Bangkok in 1996.