Five past presidents of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) issued a statement on Feb. 14 demanding that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reconsider the government's bill for the council's proposed organizational reforms.

At a news conference, the former leaders stressed the indispensability of independence and autonomy for the SCJ to fulfill its mission. They insisted that the bill be thoroughly discussed by the Diet and society at large before they are steamrolled without sufficient dialogue and re-examination.

Their opinion carries weight, as these men are learned experts who formerly participated in policymaking. Even though the government intends to present its bill to the current session of the Diet, it must stop for a thorough rethink and further discussion.

LOSS OF DIVERSITY WILL HAMPER DEVELOPMENT

From time immemorial, learning has been an independent and autonomous activity leading to new discoveries, backed by a healthy critical spirit in the assessment of conventional thinking. Overall, academia contributes to the development of humanity and society.

The SCJ represents Japanese scientists and connects the government and society to science. Since its founding in 1949, it has used its expertise to offer comprehensive recommendations and opinions on social issues and matters related to scientific and technological developments.

The current government bill in question calls for the establishment of a third-party committee for the selection of SCJ members.

But should this effectively result in only the selection of members favored by the government, the committee will not differ from any "rubber-stamping" organization of the administration. It also may cause the SCJ to lose its diversity of view as well as its genuinely valuable advisory function.

It is important to improve communications between academia and the outside world. The SCJ is striving to deepen its ties with industry by expanding its list of membership candidates--an effort we thoroughly approve.

One of the major problems with the government's reform bill is that it calls for a reinforced government-industry collaboration through a "shared problem awareness and timeline."

The academic community sees issues from mid- and long-range perspectives. In contrast, the government and industry seek to resolve problems at hand and pursue immediate interests. And it is precisely from this sort of difference that new developments are born to inspire innovative ideas.

Within the SCJ, there is the rueful awareness that with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, researchers probably failed to do enough to mitigate damage from these crises.

As long as the SCJ remains loyal to the government and only echoes the latter's opinion, this will hinder the council from identifying not-yet-obvious social issues and systemic flaws and discovering solutions to problems overlooked by the political, bureaucratic and financial communities.

HASTE IS DANGEROUS

The objections raised by the SCJ's five former presidents are rooted in the government's refusal in 2020 to endorse six SCJ-recommended candidates for membership.

The government hadn't made any attempt to settle this issue, nor ever explained its reasons for the rejections, when the Kishida administration and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party came up with the SCJ reform bill.

It is rash to proceed with the bill without first discussing a reform plan proposed by the SCJ itself.

And the government is also being unreasonably forcible in trying to extend the tenure of current members by 18 months so that the next crop of members will be chosen under a new system, and to present a pertinent bill to the current session of the Diet.

Freedom of learning is not guaranteed by freedom of research alone. Strict rules are needed for the announcement of the methods and results of research as well as for the verification methods.

One of the special autonomous rights of universities concerns personnel affairs decisions related to researchers, and the SCJ protects the functions of academia.

The SCJ's counterparts in other countries act independently of governments and possess the autonomy and independence to choose their own members.

Any attempt to distort these characteristics and force its will on the SCJ would make the Japanese government no different from any authoritarian regime.

The government's reform bill was written against the backdrop of a practical reinforcement of a business-academic collaboration the government envisions in the field of national security.

And a government panel of experts is calling for a system for the government, universities and private businesses to jointly pursue research and development that will boost Japan's defense capabilities.

On the other hand, the SCJ is of the understanding that research on military security is at odds with research aimed for the healthy development of science.

This awareness stems from Japan's rueful historical experience of academics contributing to the war effort and bringing ruin upon the nation, but some people blame this sort of thinking for standing in the way of national defense.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to simply distinguish between the dual use of science and technology for both civilian and military purposes and other uses.

We believe the government lacks the perspective to realize that promoting learning for its own sake, instead of guiding it to some specific direction, ultimately contributes more to national security.

SCJ NEEDS TO LIVE UP TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL

There are endless examples of the areas that the SCJ has made contributions through its expertise, but the function the council serves can hardly be considered widely known.

This is partly due to the SCJ's insufficient communication with the political community and society at large to explain its activities, which is something the council should work on in the days ahead.

We must also say the government has not actively utilized the SCJ enough. But to change this would require a considerable operating budget and manpower.

Is the current annual budget of 1 billion yen ($7.5 million) sufficient for its 210 members and some 2,000 associate members? The members actively participate in council matters while carrying out their research and educational duties.

We hope the SCJ itself will come up with ideas for strengthening its ties to relevant academic societies.

The nature of the SCJ determines the fundamental relationship between science and society. Failing to discuss it thoroughly and in depth will create future problems.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 15