Photo/Illutration Takaaki Kajita, center, president of the Science Council of Japan, and other executives hold a news conference on Dec. 16 to explain the interim report submitted to the science and technology policy minister. (Tetsuya Ishikura)

The Science Council of Japan issued an interim report Dec. 16 that stopped short of proposing it sever all ties with the government following a high-profile row with the Suga administration.

The Science Council has been discussing how it could change as an advisory body to the central government in the aftermath of an unprecedented decision by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to block the appointments of six scholars recommended by the body.

Under the law, the Science Council is considered as a special institution that is independent even though the central government provides its funding.
Some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had called for the organization to become entirely independent of the government.

On Dec. 16, Takaaki Kajita, a Nobel laureate who is the current president of the Science Council, submitted the interim report to Shinji Inoue, the state minister in charge of science and technology policy.

The report cited five factors, including a stable financial footing, that were important to ensure the Science Council remains an organization that is representative of the nation.

It pointed out it currently fulfills all five factors, but said further discussions were needed to determine if that situation would continue if the organization decided to become independent of the government.

The interim report called for a review of legislation that governs the setup of the Science Council “to reach a conclusion about what would be the most appropriate state for a national academy.”

The report said consideration had been given to revising the Science Council along the lines of independent administrative corporations or national university corporations, but no conclusion was reached about what option works best.

With regard to the appointment of new members, the report called for greater diversity. As an example, it proposed increasing the number of new members affiliated with the industrial sector as well as making the appointment process more transparent.

Suga has never explained his decision to block the appointments, the first time a prime minister has taken such a step, but indicated it was due to a tendency for members to be affiliated with former national universities of note and to be based in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

There was widespread speculation that Suga's action was simply payback for the six members refusing to go along with policies promoted by his predecessor, Shinzo Abe.

Half of the Science Council’s 210 members are appointed by the prime minister based on the council’s recommendations every three years.

Suga has taken exception to assertions he meddled in academic freedom with the rejections, but has never explained his decision to deny membership.

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