Japan Press Weekly

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2022 August 24 - 30 [LABOR]

JCP Dietmembers make inspection visit to RIKEN BDR over massive layoffs of non-regular researchers

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Tamura Tomoko (JCP vice chair, House of Councilors member) and JCP member of the House of Representatives Miyamoto Takeshi on August 24 held a meeting with the labor union at Japan's largest national research body, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), over the issue of termination of about 600 non-regular RIKEN researchers' employment contracts next March.

The two Dietmembers, on that day and the next day, made an inspection visit to facilities of the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Osaka and Kobe cities.

Associated with the RIKEN plan to terminate a number of non-regular contracts, a total of 42 research teams or laboratories are on the verge of dissolution. Of the 42, 19 labs at BDR, including cutting-edge research leading to the early detection of cancer and finding out the pathological mechanisms of dementia, are scheduled to be ended.

Tamura pointed out that research subjects at BDR are the study of life at molecular and atomic levels which is demanded by society. She said, "An end to the world's leading research is an overly large loss to society. It's no longer the issue only for the researchers facing termination of their contracts. RIKEN as it upholds social contributions should fully be accountable to the public."

Past related articles:
> JCP Tamura urges gov’t to instruct RIKEN to withdraw planned dismissal of 600 researchers [March 29, 2022]
> Layoffs of 600 RIKEN researchers may engender 60 leading innovative studies [March 26, 2022]