This report presents the findings of a group of database experts, sponsored by the Japanese Technology Evaluation Center (JTEC), based on an intensive study trip to Japan during March 1991. Academic, industrial, and governmental sites were visited. The primary findings are that Japan is supporting its academic research establishment poorly, that industry is making progress in key areas, and that both academic and industrial researchers are well aware of current domestic and foreign technology. Information sharing between industry and academia is effectively supported by governmental sponsorship of joint planning and review activities, and enhances technology transfer. In two key areas, multimedia and object-oriented databases, the authors can expect to see future export of Japanese database products, typically integrated into larger systems. Support for academic research is relatively modest. Nevertheless, the senior faculty are well-known and respected, and communicate frequently and in depth with each other, with government agencies, and with industry. In 1988 there were a total of 1,717 Ph.D.`s in engineering and 881 in science. It appears that only about 30 of these were academic Ph.D.`s in the basic computer sciences.