HEADQUARTERS
NEO-LIBERALISM AND SCIENTISTS’ ROLE DISCUSSED IN THE 2006-SUMMER SCHOOL
The JSA summer school was held under the theme “Neo-liberalism and scientists’ role” at Osaka City University in Osaka City from November 2 to 5. A series of the summer school has been organized for the purpose of encouraging young scientists in cooperation with senior scientists, where there are various events such as on-the-spot investigation, interdisciplinary exchange meeting, scientists’ social responsibility, etc. In the 2006-school, the organizing committee set three topics: (1) environment, (2) working activity, and (3) safety, where the topics were discussed in the context of the above theme, especially on (1) competitive research funding system against young scientists’ growing, (2) difficulty of getting job, (3) academic freedom and safety life in case of reversely revising the Constitution of Japan, etc. In addition, participants enjoyed an on-the spot investigation of the asbestos’ polluted area in the southern part of Osaka, which encouraged them for designing their future academic life.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN IN OCTOBER
1. HOKKAIDO BRANCH
The branch organized a research meeting on October 1 at Hokkaido University, where they discussed the question “What is democracy?” on the basis of analyzing the nation’s system, which was followed by enthusiastic discussions especially on an indication of democracy.
2. YAMAGATA BRANCH
The branch held a regular meeting under the title “How to bring up children” on October 6 in Yamagata City, where Mr. Hirose (teacher of a Tokyo’s elementary school) gave a seminar entitled “Let’s think of the present education in the context of the Fundamental Law of Education”. He touched upon his educational experiences under the Tokyo Metropolitan government.
3. OSAKA BRANCH
The study group Hegel’s ‘The Great Logic’ held a meeting on October 7 at St. Andrews University’s Osaka City satellite office in Osaka City, where Prof. Makino (Hannan Univ.) discussed a part of the last volume of “The Great Logic”.
4. OKINAWA BRANCH
The 2006 autumn’s research exchange meeting was organized under the theme “Let’s rethink of our research and educational condition” on October 13 at Ryukyu University. Prof. Yagasaki (Ryukyu Univ.) gave a talk on how he has developed his small research group in the contemporary university system that is governed under university corporation system, and Prof. Tokuda (Ryukyu Univ.) reported the activities in Ryukyu University Law School, which was followed by many discussions and comments.
5. FUKUOKA BRANCH
On October 14, the branch organized the 4th energy research meeting in Fukuoka City, where they discussed energy problems to immediately solve.
6. SHIGA BRANCH
The Shiga Prefectural College chapter organized a research colloquium on October 20, where Prof. Kojima (Shiga Pref. Col.) gave a seminar on his research activity. His stimulative talk included a series of his revolutionary discovery that might correct physical data having been believed for these sixty years, through which he gave all the participants a number of ideas for designing and proceeding own research in order to overcome many research barrier.
7. TOKYO BRANCH
On October 27, the 25th peace seminar was organized, where Prof. Kaneko (Rissho Univ.) discussed the contents of the draft of the national referendum law that is discussing in the present Diet session, which was the forth seminar for discussing the national referendum in the peace seminar.
8. KANAGAWA BRANCH
The branch organized a symposium “Thinking of scientific workers’ rights and status, and ethical code” on October 29 in Yokohama City, which was to prepare comments and discussions to the headquarters’ committee for formulating two documents (declaration of scientific workers’ rights and status, and enactment of scientific workers’ ethical code). There were enthusiastic discussions not only for establishing documents but for developing scientific workers’ activity.
9. KYOTO BRANCH
All the universities have drastically changed after introducing university corporative system in 2004 (no state-run university longer exists). To review the present situation of university, the branch, on October 29 in Kyoto City, held a pre-symposium entitled “Thinking of university problems in Kyoto” for the 16th CSSC (comprehensive scientific study convention) held this December, where they discussed (1) term-based employment system, (2) university corporative system for research and education, (3) Kyoto University – past, present and future, and (4) Kyoto Prefetural university reform and task of labor union, etc.
KEEP SKY CLEAN: DON’T USE IT FOR A WAR THEATER!
With the launching of optional satellite on September 11, Japan now has three intelligence-gathering satellites in the orbit, which is followed by the forth satellite to be planned for next year. New Prime Minister Abe and other governmental officials argue that Japan should increase its capabilities to attack “enemy” bases, but intelligence gathering by using these satellites will continue a serious threat to other countries all over the world. Using North Korea’s launching of ballistic missiles in 1999 as the pretext, the Japanese government decided to possess and operate four intelligence-gathering satellites and launched the first two satellites in March 2003. In 2004, it launched two more that failed. The intelligence-gathering satellites are in fact military spy satellites. Their aim is to monitor the military activities of other countries. The object is basically dependent upon the US information, indicating that the Japanese government is thus seeking to play its great part in line with the US preemptive attack strategy.
However, the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan provides that Japan forever renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. Japan is therefore prohibited from carrying out such espionage activities related to international affairs. Intelligence-gathering in the presence of satellites will accelerate the Abe cabinet’s argument for justifying the “attack enemy bases” policy and for developing capabilities for such attack.
Data obtained from these intelligent-gathering satellites will be used by Japan to identify military targets or as a pretext for developing long-range offensive weapons’ systems, which will be carried out in cooperation with the US forces. It must strongly be required that the government must abandon any attempt that will lead to military conflicts. Although the government has been arguing that these satellites are necessary for ensuring Japan’s national security and disaster countermeasures, at least the latter discussion is groundless since the related governmental sections have never used such system for disasters.
The operation of the intelligence-gathering satellite is kept in secret from Diet and the public, indicating that such espionage activities must not be allowed to continue in the future. Furthermore, launching four such satellites costs more than $5,000 million, and replacing them every five years will require the same cost, meaning that those will inevitably cut the nation’s expenditures for the public services. Such an endless and wasteful use of tax money is not acceptable. In 2005, Japanese military budget clearly exceeded 1% of its GDP ($44.31 vs. $4,018 billion). Added the above satellites’ cost (and much unofficial funds related to military researches) to the military budget, the nation’s expense for military program is skyrocketing, and instead the expense for the nation’s life is going under water. The government should recall that the House of Representatives in 1969 adopted a resolution on the base of space development and use “limiting its use to peaceful purposes”, which must be read that the word “peace” means “non military” in order to make sky clean in the future. (S. YUASA)