To add insult to injury in a row with the Science Council of Japan, the government admitted it urged the august body to help develop technology for both civil and defense purposes in spite of its longstanding opposition to military research.

Shinji Inoue, minister in charge of science and technology, said Nov. 17 that the government conveyed its request to Takaaki Kajita, who is president of the council and a Nobel laureate.

“Whether Japan should pursue dual-use technology is an issue we should weigh in a cool-headed manner to meet the challenges of our times,” Inoue said in reply to a question by Eriko Yamatani of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at an Upper House Cabinet Committee session.

He said the government is waiting for the council’s response.

The Suga administration and the LDP are now reviewing how the council operates even though it is an independent entity comprised of prominent researchers.

The review got under way after the council accused the Suga administration of undermining academic freedom following Suga’s refusal in September to appoint six of 105 academics recommended by the council as new members.

Under longstanding protocol, the prime minister has never balked at approving those recommended for membership. But Suga rocked the boat by singling out six who had opposed security and other laws pushed by his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, and blocked their appointments.

Now facing growing pressure from the Suga administration and the LDP, Kajita agreed to report back to Inoue by year-end with the council's views on five points the council picked on its own.

These include how to bolster its functions to make policy proposals and its ability to broadly convey information and ensure transparency in the selection of new members.

Allowing research on technology for dual use was not among the five points, however.

The council remains steadfast in its refusal to engage in scientific research for war, issuing a statement to that effect in 1950 and 1967.

When it was established in 1949, the council decided to stake out its independence and never allow itself to be coerced into cooperating in a war effort. This stemmed from its reflection during World War II that Japanese scientists were co-opted by the military government to support Japan's push in the Pacific War.

When the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, an arm of the Defense Ministry, created a system to provide funding to research on national security and related fields in 2015, the council announced in 2017 that it would continue to adhere to its previous policy statement.

But the LDP and the business community, both of which are alarmed by China’s ascent as a military power, remain unhappy with the council’s stance.

Masahiko Shibayama, a former education minister who now serves as the LDP’s acting secretary-general, voiced concern that Japan is lagging behind in technologies that can be applied to both fields.

“It has been pointed out that little progress has been made in the development of dual-use technology due to (the council's) opposition to engaging in military research,” Shibayama stated on a news program aired by public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) on Oct. 25.

Akira Amari, chairman of the LDP’s Research Commission on the Tax System, also underlined the importance of advancing dual-use research projects during a program by a broadcaster in June.

“The global trend is to promote dual-use research and cutting-edge technology can be converted for defense purposes at any time,” he said.

A similar call was also made by a top executive of a private-sector company on Nov. 9 when Inoue exchanged opinions with members of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation set up at the Cabinet Office.

“It is almost impossible to draw a line between national security and science,” the executive told the gathering. “We need to debate what Japan should do for its survival as it is sandwiched by the United States and China.”

Tomoko Tamura, policy chief of the Japanese Communist Party, expressed alarm over the remarks, asserting they are intended to overturn the guiding principles of the council.

“By criticizing the Science Council, the government appears to be steering public opinion into attacking it,” she said.

Tamura likened the current climate pushed by the Suga administration to the suppression of scientists by the military government in the leadup to and during World War II.