This research note describes how the Japanese five-year Arctic research program “Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS)” was implemented, focusing on its activities that supported the research, with a brief introduction of the background of Japan’s Arctic research. There were two shifts in the style of Japan’s Arctic research during the last 10–15 years: from small research projects by individual scientists to a large national program, and from a purely scientific program to a comprehensive Arctic research program. Governmental policy played a crucial role in these shifts. As a national program, ArCS was required to expand Japanese Arctic research capabilities, and to deliver research results to multiple stakeholders. It was to meet these requirements that several supporting activities were included in addition to the research itself: establishing research and observation platforms, sending young researchers to overseas institutions, sending experts to the Arctic Council working groups, and enhancing outreach activities targeting both the general public in Japan and the international Arctic research community. Objectives, design, and outcomes of these supporting activities are described respectively.

本研究说明介绍了日本五年北极研究计划“北极对可持续性的挑战（ArCS）”的实施方式，重点介绍了支持该研究的活动，并简要介绍了日本北极研究的背景。在过去的10到15年中，日本北极研究的风格发生了两个转变：从单个科学家的小型研究项目到大型国家计划，从纯科学计划到全面的北极研究计划。政府政策在这些转变中起着至关重要的作用。作为一项国家计划，要求ArCS扩大日本北极的研究能力，并将研究结果提供给多个利益相关者。为了满足这些要求，除了研究本身，还包括了一些支持活动：建立研究和观测平台，派遣年轻研究人员到海外机构，派专家参加北极理事会工作组，并加强针对日本普通民众和国际北极研究界的宣传活动。分别描述了这些支持活动的目标，设计和结果。