Former President of the Science Council of Japan Statement “Reconsider the government proposal for member selection”

Regarding the organization of the Science Council of Japan, the government has indicated a policy of amending the law, including the introduction of a system in which a third party is involved in the selection of members. They jointly issued a statement urging Prime Minister Kishida to revise the law, stating, "The government's proposal only undermines the selection method adopted to guarantee the autonomy that is essential for member selection." He called on the government to reconsider the reforms that would accompany it.

The statements were made by Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, former president of the University of Tokyo and former president of the Science Council of Japan, Kiyoshi Kurokawa, professor emeritus at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and Seigo Hirowatari, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Professor Takashi Onishi and former president of Kyoto University Juichi Yamagiwa.

In regards to the Science Council of Japan, the government has announced that it will introduce a system to involve a third party in selecting members in order to increase the transparency of the organization. It is a policy to submit to

Regarding this, the five chairmen of the Science Council issued a statement asking Prime Minister Kishida to reconsider the government's reforms accompanied by legal revisions.

In the statement, ``Scientific advice to the government provided by the Science Council should be given independently and academically independently of the government's interests,'' and ``The government proposal is essential for membership selection. It only undermines the selection method adopted to guarantee a high level of autonomy."

Regarding the government's policy, in December last year, the Science Council also compiled a statement asking the government to reconsider, and the involvement in the member selection by the third-party committee was decided by then Prime Minister Kan, who appointed six member candidates. It points out that ``there is doubt even in light of the independence of the academic council,'' saying that it could lead to legitimization of what was not done.