HEADQUARTERS
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN TOKYO
On June 24 and 25, the above meeting was held, where they firstly arranged the coming secretariat system, and then reviewed and summarized a number of discussions having made at the 37th national convention, which was followed by proposing an action plan in the first half of the 42nd term. Also, discussed were the problems: (1) the Constitution of Japan and the Fundamental Law of Education, which have been discussing in the Diet for adversely revising them, (2) the 2006 scientists’ form against A and H bombs, which is held on August 1 in Yokohama City, (3) discussion on scientists’ rights and responsibility, and (4) research conditions in the independently managed agencies (former state-run universities).
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN MAY AND JUNE
1. OSAKA BRANCH
1) The study group Philosophy organized a meeting on May 23, where Dr. Yamasaki (Osaka City Univ.) gave a lecture on the title “The US’s development of a precision guided missile in Vietnam War”.2. TOKYO BRANCH
1) The 19th Hachi-oji science forum was organized on June 8, where Dr. Kan (Maritime Tech. Inst., ret.) gave a lecture on the development of gas-turbine engine driven at a high temperature (1,500 oC).
2) The women scientists gathered to exchange their views on June 10, where Dr. Kawano (Nippon Med. Col.) gave a talk on the title “Thinking of science of ‘subjectivity’ – Measurement of brain waves and its future”, which was followed by many discussions.
3) On June 18 at Chuo University, the Chuo University chapter organized a gathering to read the book “The method of the Capital” written by Dr. Mita.
4) The 1st Chofu science gathering was organized at the University of Electro-Communication on June 23, where Prof. Kawano (Univ. Electro-Commun.) gave a lecture on his research of a high efficiency solar-battery using rare-earth elements
5) The 1st citizens’ gathering to think of intellectual property was held on June 24, where they discussed the recent situation about intellectual property rights, especially invention at working place (invention ex-officio). The gathering is developed from the former JSA’s mini-symposia for thinking of intellectual property rights.
3. TOKUSHIMA BRANCH
The branch organized a tea-party at Tokushima University, where Prof. Kakuta (Tokushima Bunri Univ.) gave a seminar on the system of “pay according to ability” at university, which was followed by many discussions of problematic points of a so-called productivity (achievementalism) at university.
4. HYOGO BRANCH
The branch held the annual convention on June 17 in Kobe, where they reviewed the past activity and proposed the coming movement plan. Prof. Kimura (Hyogo Prefetural University) gave a commemorative lecture entitled “Visits to solitary islands in Okinawa Prefecture and Seto-Inland Sea”.
5. KANAGAWA BRANCH
The branch organized the 3rd Kanagawa forum for thinking of the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan on June 24 at Tsurumi University in Yokohama City, where Prof. Shimizu (Meiji Univ.) analyzed the problematic points of “Procedural bills for adversely revising the Constitution”, which was followed by a many discussions about the ongoing political tactics and tricks.
6. OKINAWA BRANCH
On June 24, the Okinawan citizens’ conference of the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, to which the branch belongs, organized a symposium entitled “The revisions of the Fundamental Law of Education and the Constitution of Japan – Towards observing the Article 9 of the Constitution”, which was followed by a number of comments and discussions from the floor.
LET’S BLOCK PASSAGE OF ADVERSE BILLS SUBMITTED TO THE DIET
On May 30 the government approved the basic plan for the realignment of the US forces in Japan in defiance of opposition from local governments and residents concerned. The government plan calls for an adequate and swift implementation of the May 1 final agreement of the Japan-US Security Consultative Committee meeting, including legislative and budgetary steps. Regarding the stationing of the US forces in Japan as the crux of the Japan-US security step, the basic plan says that the government will ensure the stable use by the US forces of all the military facilities and areas in Japan, thus declaring that the US forces will be indefinitely stationed in Japan.
In order to carry out the above agreement, necessary is its corresponding legal system. For the present, three major bills have been submitted to the Diet to adversely revise the Fundamental Law of Education, to lead to the adverse revision of the Constitution of Japan, and to establish the notion of conspiracy crime. These bills are the first step but extremely critical moment next only to adversely revising the Constitution of Japan, whose daft has been opened to the public.
The first one contains serious problems that cannot be overlooked, including the intention to control education by the power of law, to impose patriotism and to accelerate competition, which consequently produces a war-fighting nation by infringing on the freedom of thought, and results in discarding freedom and equality from the principles of education. However, the government has failed to explain which provisions of the present Fundamental Law of Education are problematic and need to be amended, revealing that the various issues concerning children and education do not originate from the Law itself but from the governmental politics that disregards the Law’s principle that the aim of education is the full development of the personality of each child as an individual!
The second one is concerning the procedures for amending the Constitution of Japan. It is the first time since the end of World War II that bills that have a direct bearing on the Constitution have been submitted to the Diet. The bill is to set the procedures for a national referendum on constitutional revision and revise the Diet Law to provide for procedures for initiating constitutional amendments. Basically criticized is the procedure: easing requirements for approving constitutional amendments from the present provision (Article 96 of the Constitution) that “Amendments to this Constitution shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of all votes cast thereon” to “a majority of all effective votes cast”.
The last one is designed to change the present criminal laws to make it possible to convict a person for his or her thought or belief instead of acts, indicating that the authority can arrest person(s) in advance on the basis of a story made up, whether or not it commits crime. Unless this aim is renounced, the crucial defect of the bill cannot be corrected with any amendments, although the negotiation has been made over amending the bill between the government and the Democratic Party. (S. YUASA)