Photo/Illutration Tatsuru Uchida, a professor emeritus at Kobe College, talks at a news conference held by the Association of Scholars Opposed to the Security-related Laws in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Oct. 14. (Ryuichi Kitano)

An academic group critical of national security legislation enacted in 2015 is demanding the government explain why six scholars were denied membership on the Science Council of Japan.

At a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 14, the Association of Scholars Opposed to the Security-related Laws said the six academics should immediately be given positions on the council.

The association was established to object to the security-related legislation enacted during the administration of Shinzo Abe.

Many members of the association had held positions on the Science Council.

Academics and others suspect that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga rejected the six scholars because of their past objections to government policies, including the security-related laws.

According to the association, at least 370 academic societies and 17 groups related to universities have made announcements opposing the government’s decision to reject the six scholars who were recommended by the council.

“The Science Council of Japan Law boasts its independence from governments and restricts the appointing power of prime ministers,” the association said in a statement. It also said refusal to appoint recommended members to the council “is unforgivable conduct that violates the council’s independence and academic freedom.”

The statement said it is “sacrilegious” for politics to interfere in the selection process for membership, which should be based on the candidates’ academic studies and performances. It added that such unlawful conduct threatens democracy and constitutionalism.

“If administrations get involved with academic communities and gather ‘yes-men’ based on their loyalties, there will be fewer opposing voices, making it easier for politicians to manage them,” Tatsuru Uchida, a professor emeritus at Kobe College, said. “But that will undermine Japan’s ability to disseminate information, resulting in a lowering of its overall power and standing in the world.”

Suga has denied that politics played a part in the rejections, but he has not given a specific reason for withholding membership from the six scholars.

“If appointments can be denied without a clarifying reason, there will be many hidden discriminatory actions,” said Eiji Oguma, a professor at Keio University. “Under the ‘rule of law,’ even those in power must go through lawful procedures, and so we must prevent violations from happening.”

Toshihide Masukawa, a Nobel laureate in physics and professor emeritus at Kyoto University, also had strong words for Suga.

“The prime minister’s outrageous conduct will be condemned for years historically,” Masukawa said in a statement. “It will leave a black spot on the Science Council of Japan that was founded based on reflections on the war.”

The Nature Conservation Society of Japan, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Japan issued a joint statement on Oct. 13 opposing the rejections of the six.

“We cannot overlook the issue in terms of the healthy promotion of nature conservation,” they said. They asked the government to clarify the reason for the denial and to retract its refusal to appoint the six.

The groups stressed the importance of the council’s work, saying it has provided the theoretical basis for nature preservation groups and many others whose work is based on scientific grounds.

The statement said the Science Council of Japan has proposed various ideas on environmental topics, such as climate change, energy and preserving biodiversity.

It also said the Science Council is different from ones established by administrative organizations.

“The council’s independence is very important because it can propose ideas as a truly independent group,” the statement said.

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