Photo/Illutration A meeting of the Science Council of Japan (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The government is proposing the use of outside parties to select candidates for the Science Council of Japan, a move that current council members say could threaten the independence of the influential organization.

The Science Council of Japan came under the spotlight in 2020 when Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga refused to appoint six members who were nominated by the council.

While no clear reason was ever given for the rejection of the six, they were known for taking positions critical of the government.

At that time, some within the government and ruling coalition criticized the Science Council as being a closed organization, despite receiving funding from the government.

Since then, government officials have been considering a possible change in the status of the council.

The guideline released on Dec. 6 said the Science Council would continue as a government organ that receives state funding. But to improve transparency, third-party organs would become involved in selecting new members as well as evaluating the activities of the council.

When media reports about such plans emerged in November, a statement in the name of Takaaki Kajita, the council president, was released on Nov. 28 expressing concerns that the proposal would affect the very core of the council’s independence.

The government is seeking to introduce legislation in the ordinary Diet session scheduled to convene early next year to reform the structure of the Science Council.

The third-party organ to select nominees and appoint new members would likely consist of people from the business world and other sectors who are engaged in research activities with council members.

The government proposal would also strengthen the role of external committees in evaluating the activities of the council.

In addition, plans have been floated to assess the activities of the revised Science Council three and six years after the legislation is enacted. One option in the reviews is to make the council a separate entity outside of the government.

Shigeyuki Goto, the state minister for economic revitalization, said while making the council a separate entity was not a foregone conclusion, the assessments would examine progress made in reforming its structure and evaluating its activities and management.

The Science Council put together its own structural revision proposal in spring 2021 after the six nominees were rejected.

While continuing to be independent of the government was a major precondition, the proposal also called for greater transparency and dialogue with those outside the council.

Related News