HEADQUARTERS
The 16th CSSC (comprehensive scientific study convention) was held under the theme “Scientific and technological achievements and the nation’s life – Thinking of scientific role for developing – a peaceful world and our life”, which was from December 1 to 3 in Tokyo. On the first day, they had a plenary session, where Prof. Shiozaki (Kobe Univ.) made a special lecture on how we can minimize respective disaster among a number of gigantic disasters, and Prof. Horio (Emeritus Prof. of the Univ. of Tokyo) also gave a special lecture on the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education.
On the second day, there were 21 scientific sessions: (1) the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education, (2) Asian peace construction on the basis of denouncing the Japan-US Security Treaty, (3) history textbook question, and recognition of Asia and history, (4) energy problems in Japan and the world, (5) mal-revision of the Constitution and environmental right, (6) disaster preventions, (7) thinking of the public works, (8) globalization, and the US’s economy and society, (9) sustainable development of locally small-scale enterprises, (10) policy making science for foods and agriculture, (11) verification: the establishment of a state on the basis of intellectual properties, (12) the 3rd science and technological basic plan, (13) how science and technology should be in the 21st century, (14) how the 21st century’s university should be, and the present private university and its innovation, (15) university corporation and research institute’s corporative management, and those labor unions’ roles, (16) women scientists’ activity towards real male-female cooperative participation, (17) pathology of the present Japanese society, (18) discrimination-dominated society, and the present Japan’s poverty, (19) Tokyo Metropolitan government, (20) the former premier’s reform and scientists’ role in local community, and (21) scientists’ rights, respectively.
Fourteen more scientific sessions were also organized on the third day as follows: (1) the Article 9 of the Constitution – its past, present and future, (2) military and its research introduction to those who wish observe the Constitution, (3) problems relating to the Yokosuka home port for the US’s nuclear-powered carrier, (4) science and policy towards climate change, (5) waste and soil pollution, (6) verification: de novo innovation trials basing upon IT (info tech), (7) problems of scientists working in private enterprises, (8) thinking of the act for prolonging one’s life – “Is it guilty or not to remove, say, an artificial respiration system?”, (9) pharmaceutical business, (10) introduced species (exotic plant and animal) and biological diversity – globalization and incoming species from abroad, (11) seriously gigantic accident due to plan, train and ship, (12) role of local government: invitation of enterprise to small town and its industrial policy, (13) scientists’ status and rights question and their ethical code, and (14) talking to foreign national students studying in Japan, respectively. At a closing session, Dr. Osada (head of the organizing committee) gave a remark concerning events and discussions for three days, whose fruits are sent to the 17th CSSC in Nagoya (2008).
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
1. OSAKA BRANCH
1) The study group Energy problems held a meeting on November 18, where Dr. Hiroshige (Osaka branch) discussed environmental ethics and philosophy, especially on ethics laying stress on life and the value innate in life.
2) The Kansai-area’s colloquium for scientific workers in private enterprises was organized on November 19, where Dr. Kitaguchi (Osaka branch) gave a seminar under the title “The visit to a Mary Anning’s footmark in the southern England”. Dr. Anning is a famous geologist or naturalist who found many fossilized specimens such as ichthyosaur and plesiosaur.
3) The study group Philosophy organized a meeting on November 22, where Dr. Komorita (Osaka branch) summarized the past regular meetings related to life, in which she proposed a biological system-emerging process using a hypothesis why only 20 species of amino acids had been selected for life construction at the origin of life on the earth.
4) In a meeting of the study group Contemporary capitalism on November 29, Dr. Morii (Osaka branch) gave a seminar “East-Asian Economic Community”.
2. OKAYAMA BRANCH
To make clear the real reason why scientists in charge of the fire front wrote a trumped-up paper and made ethical trouble, the branch organized a meeting to think of scientists’ rights and status, and ethical code on November 27 at Okayama University. Prof. Hiroki (Nagoya Univ., and a member of the committee for scientists’ rights problems) was invited to give a lecture in relation to the on-discussing documents for scientists’ rights and status and ethical code for scientists, which are planed to publish as the JSA’s documents to encourage all the scientists in Japan and the world as well.
3. SHIZUOKA BRANCH
The branch held a pre-symposium for the 16th CSSC in Tokyo (see above) on November 30 at Shizuoka University, where Dr. Hayashi (Shizuoka Univ., ret.) lectured under the theme “The mechanism of the global warming, and the question of typhoons and hurricanes which had become outsized. Prof. Miyashita (Shizuoka Univ.) also gave a seminar on consumers’ protection.
4. FUKUOKA BRANCH
1) The Fukuoka environmental study meeting was held on December 2 at a Kurume University Fukuoka satellite, where Prof. Kawachi (Kurume Univ.) gave a lecture on “Kleingarten (kitchen garden of private vegetable garden). He proposed its garden management for clearing the Japanese self-sustaining foods’ problems and also introduced a citizen-run farm (so-called home farm), which help self-support of foods in the future.
2) On December 11, the branch organized a reading meeting of the December edition of Nihon-no-Kagakusha (Journal of Japanese Scientists) at Kyushu University, where they discussed gene-manipulating foods.
5. HYOGO BRANCH
The branch organized a regular meeting on December 9 in Kobe City, where Prof. Takahashi (Ritsumei-kan Univ.) made a seminar on the theme “Dialog among Japanese, Chinese and Korean in relation to Japanese historical textbook”. A number of discussions have been available among them concerning to the last war, in which Japan should be responsible for the war-caused compensation in Asian countries. The course of problems was triggered by the former premier’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine. Prof. Takahashi introduced the 5th Japan-China-Korea Young Learning Camp held in Okinawa this summer, where they intimately exchanged their views on own history and culture to understand each other through a camping activity.
6. TOTTORI BRANCH
We are commonly responsible for truly utilizing science and technology for developing human being (a code of the JSA). In order to reaffirm the above code, the branch held a symposium entitled “The role of science and scientist for developing a peace world” at Tottori University on December 9, which was to widely exchange scientists’ views for recent abnormal movements such as (1) cost- or result-performing principle, (2) competition, (3) unlawful-accounting, (4) a trumped-up paper, (5) military science and technology, and (6) life- or gene- manipulating technology. Firstly they discussed the question of “how people are discriminated and then discriminated society is brought about”, and then they made clear what the principle of cost performance and competition is when thought of scientists’ rights and ethics.
7. TOKYO BRANCH
1) On December 10, the individual members carried out and made a field work tour to Inashiro City, where more than 90 hectare plain is prepared for housing sites. They were given a lecture on the movements against developing the plains, which was followed by a get-together meeting.
2) The Hachi-oji science forum was organized on December 14 in Hachi-oji City, where they discussed the coming year activity.