Japan Press Weekly

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2009 November 25 - December 1 [POLITICS]

Nobel laureates oppose cuts in science budget

Esaki Reona and Kobayashi Makoto (Physics), Tonegawa Susumu (Physiology or Medicine), Noyori Ryoji (Chemistry), and Fields Prize winner Mori Shigefumi (mathematics) signed the statement. Masukawa Toshihide, another Nobel laureate in physics, has also expressed support for the statement.

The statement argues that what is going on under the name of budget-slashing measures “runs counter to the attempt to further a science-technology-oriented Japan and will lead to serious consequences moving young people away from the academic field and causing a drain of Japanese talent to other countries.”

At a news conference held on the same day in the University of Tokyo, Kobayashi said, “It has important bearings on the future of science and technology in Japan. It is too simplistic to decide on a reduction in the budget focusing only on the negative aspects of individual programs. I cannot understand how such an approach can be considered to be consistent with the government vision to make Japan the world’s leading science and technology nation.”

“Once you restrict scientific research to short-term results or profits, it will take much more time to recover the ability to engage in pure science and long-term research. The government should scrutinize the overall budget allocation, including the so-called ‘sympathy budget’ for the stationing of the U.S. forces in Japan,” said Masukawa to an Akahata reporter.

Head to head with prime minister

Nobel laureates on November 26 went head on head with Prime Minister Hatoyama Yuko at the prime minister’s office, requesting him to review the plan to cut budgets for science and technology projects.

In addition to the previous day’s four Nobel Prize winners, Shirakawa Hideki (Chemistry) and Koshiba Masatoshi (Physics) joined in and submitted a petition calling on “the new government to give a special consideration in the field of science and technology based on reasoned arguments.”
- Akahata, November 26 & 27, 2009