Four executives, including Chairman Takaaki Kajita and Vice Chairman Yukari Takamura of the Science Council of Japan, held a press conference in Tokyo due to the issue that six candidate members of the Science Council of Japan were rejected by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and the selection was biased. He argued that he was "widely selected" in response to the fact that Prime Minister Kan pointed out in the Diet that he could see.In addition, he appealed for an early solution, saying that the refusal of appointment is a constraint on the management of the society.
According to the Science Council of Japan, Chairman Kajita described the issue of refusal to appoint as "a situation that should be called a cliff in the blue sky," and said that it was a major obstacle to promoting future-oriented dialogue with the government.He asked the government to explain why he refused to appoint and to appoint six people.
In response to the fact that Prime Minister Suga pointed out in the Diet that "there are few people from the private sector and young people, and there is a bias in their origins and universities," the member selection process, data on the increase in female members, and the ratio of research institutes After showing in detail such things, he said, "We are selecting members from a wide range of perspectives."
Regarding the fact that misinformation about the Science Council of Japan is being posted one after another on SNS and blogs, Vice Chairman Koichi Hishida said, "I was surprised at the misinformation such as pensions one after another." He explained the contents of various activities, the actual situation of the budget, and the current situation of international cooperation activities.
At the press conference, the press asked whether the impact on academic freedom and the refusal to appoint Prime Minister Suga were illegal, but Kajita and his colleagues declined to make a statement.
