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........