Discussion at the Science Council of Japan on reviewing the postwar stance of rejecting military research is approaching a climax.
On Feb. 4, the council held a forum in Tokyo inviting general members of the public and experts to state their opinions on the issue. The invitation resulted in repeated calls for scientists to uphold a declaration against military research passed after World War II, based on lessons learned from scientists' cooperation in the war.
Masanori Fukushima, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University who spoke as an expert at the gathering, noted that the role of science and scientists in modern society was being questioned, and stated, "If we change the declaration, the international community will harbor a sense of distrust toward Japan. The Science Council of Japan should lead the world."
A separate stance was outlined by Junichi Nishiyama, a researcher at the Institute for Future Engineering, who spoke from the viewpoint of having participated in missile development at a manufacturer.
"Ballistic missiles and space rockets are the same," he said. "There is no line between military use and civilian use, and so the important issue is what should be done to prevent misuse."
It was also pointed out at the meeting that military research at university was not an issue restricted to individual researchers alone, but extended to students and research laboratories as a whole.
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