December 24, 2014
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2014 December 24 - 2015 January 6 [POLITICS]
Scholars are opposing Abe gov’t move to further involve universities in military research |
After WWII, under Article 9 of the pacifist Constitution, research institutions have restricted themselves to lending a hand to the defense authority. The Science Council of Japan, the representative body of Japanese scientists, in 1950 expressed its resolve to avoid scientific research for military purposes. In 1967, it issued a statement refusing to conduct military-related research projects. The campaign for a nuclear-free peace declaration developed in the late 1980s. As a result, 24 research institutions and universities, including five national universities declared that they will not engage in nuclear-related studies.
Since Prime Minister Abe Shinzo took office in December 2012, research collaboration between the Defense Ministry Technology Research and Development Institute and civilian institutes have increased. This move has provoked protests from academics.
In July 2014, 48 academics launched a signature collection campaign in protest against military-academic collaboration. The University of Tokyo Staff Union in the same month released a statement demanding that the university maintain its self-imposed ban on military-related studies.
The national budget for academic research keeps declining. Endo Motoo, chair of the union, pointed out that more researchers have become attracted to war-related projects with large available budgets, despite being initially unwilling to be involved.
Niigata University Professor Emeritus Akai Junji stressed the need to increase awareness among students and citizens regarding the signature collection campaign. He added that students, staff, and teachers’ voices in opposition at universities will put a halt to the move for military-academics cooperation.
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