[Science Council of Japan] What are your opinions so far?
October 14, 14:53
The Science Council of Japan is a special national institution that makes policy proposals and raises awareness of science independently of the government.
After summarizing what kind of opinions have been expressed so far, we talked to experts.
The Science Council of Japan, also known as the "National Diet of Scholars," is a special national institution that makes policy proposals and raises awareness of science independently of the government.
It represents approximately 870,000 scientists and has 210 members.
There are seven ways that the Science Council can express its opinions from a professional standpoint: "report," "answer," "recommendation," "request," "statement," "proposal," and "report."
Of these, the "report" is issued after receiving an inquiry from the government, and the "answer" is issued after receiving a deliberation request from the ministries and agencies.
The report compiled in 2007 was consulted by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on "how to mitigate disasters in response to changes in global natural disasters", and in June this year, the Japan Sports Agency. In response to a deliberation request, we provide "answers" regarding the way "sports value" should be disseminated.
The other five "recommendations" and "requests", as well as "statements", "recommendations" and "reports" are voluntary by the Science Council.
Of these, the most frequently issued is the "proposal", and 68 cases have been issued in this case alone.
Among the "proposals", the one that is attracting particular attention from the people concerned is the "master plan", which comprehensively systematizes large-scale research in Japan and is announced once every three years.
It was announced in January and is said to be a reference for national academic policies that are considered for budgetary measures.
In addition, the "Proposal" issued in August summarizes the ethical issues surrounding the application of genome editing technology to humans, and discusses the issues surrounding cutting-edge science.
On the other hand, there have been three "reports" in the last 50 years, which have not been issued in the last 13 years.
Expert "I think it's worth it"
According to Associate Professor Kenji Ito of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, who is familiar with the history of science in Japan, researchers who make claims based on communist ideologies tend to be influential around 1950, when the Science Council of Japan was first established. It is said that there was.
And the country has set up separate councils and conferences to consider science.
Associate Professor Ito said, "I think there was a long history of wanting to reduce the influence of scholars who were critical of the government, and I think they were moving toward reducing the influence and authority of the Science Council." I explained the background and the background of the lack of "reports".
Associate Professor Ito commented on the significance of the existence of the Science Council of Japan, saying, "The reports and statements of the Science Council of Japan are issued not only to the government but to the entire nation. The government is close to the government. Since we have an advisory body, I think the Science Council has value as an institution that can give different opinions. "