Science Council of Japan’s Reform: Change Body to Organization That Will Contribute to Society

Editorial

16:29 JST, December 22, 2024

The self-centered insistence by the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) on refusing government involvement in personnel and operational matters while seeking public funding is unacceptable.

If the SCJ continues to rigidly oppose calls for reforms, it should make itself an organization that does not rely on the government at all.

A Cabinet Office panel of experts that is tasked with examining the role of the SCJ has compiled a final report. The report has called for the council to review its status as a “special organization” of the state and turn it into an independent incorporated body. The panel envisions the SCJ becoming a special corporation that handles work with a certain degree of public interest.

The government allocates about ¥1 billion a year to fund the SCJ’s operating costs. The report recommends that the government continue providing financial support for the SCJ for the time being even after it is incorporated.

The SCJ, a representative body of Japanese scientists, is expected to play a role in contributing to the development of science and technology as well as of industry through policy proposals.

However, it is difficult to say that the council has made timely proposals so far. The organization should be urgently reformed so it can fulfill its original duties.

Regarding the continued provision of support for operating costs, the report has proposed that the new corporation have auditors to oversee its finances and operations, and that it set up an evaluation committee to have outside experts inspect the results of its activities. The report recommends that such auditors and evaluation committee members be appointed by the prime minister.

As long as public funds are injected, it is natural that the government inspects whether the SCJ has used budgets appropriately and conducted activities conducive to society.

Once the SCJ becomes an organization independent of the government, taxpayers’ money should not be injected into it indefinitely. After the new corporation is launched, the government will need to urge the body to raise funds from donations and other external sources.

The SCJ’s lack of transparency in the selection of its members has been an issue.

Currently, the prime minister has the authority to appoint the council’s members, but this is merely a formality. In reality, SCJ members have been selected based on recommendations from existing members. As a result, some people say that research fields handled by the SCJ lack in scope and that the council’s members include many scholars with biased views.

It is reasonable that the panel has called for the SCJ to listen to a wide range of opinions from outside.

However, the issue at stake is the method that the reform takes. The panel has proposed in the report that a selection advisory committee, which comprises external scientists, be set up at the new corporation, but it has allowed the SCJ president to pick the members of this committee.

If people chosen by the president give advice, the selection of SCJ members may end up being self-serving. If so, there is no point in the reform.

To turn the SCJ into an organization that brings together a diverse range of talent from various fields, it is essential that the government be involved to a certain extent by taking steps such as requiring people from industries to be included in the advisory committee.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 22, 2024)