JSA^NOW

No. 191 (June 10, 2007)
THE JAPAN SCIENTISTS' ASSOCIATION (JSA)

HEADQUARTERS

38TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY HELD IN TOKYO

On May 26 and 27, the membership representing respective branch (47 branches) gathered and exchanged their views of the past and future activity. It was held under severely urgent circumstance, since (1) the Fundamental Law of Education had been adversely revised (December 2006), and (2) the National Referendum Law had just been established on May 14 for revising the Constitution in the very near future, at which the government aims for freely making a war in cooperation with the US forces. In the meeting, they firstly summarized the past activity in the 42^nd term, in which the 16^th CSSC (comprehensive scientific study convention) having been held was totally reviewed for making the coming convention success in Nagoya, and secondly discussed the coming subject to be done in the headquarters as well as each branch, in which they planned (1) the 2007-scientists’ forum against Atomic and Hydrogen bombs to be held in Kyoto, (2) the 12^th women scientists’ convention (June 30 in Tsukuba City) to make clear their present situation and future activity, and (3) further enforcement of international affairs section, for instance.

NEO-LIBERALISM CRITICIZED

The research liaison conference for peace and democracy held a spring symposium under the title “The background of the thought and theory of neo-liberalism, and Ms. Thatcher’s administration” in Tokyo on May 15. Since neo-liberalism has world widely been destroying the frame of welfare-supporting nation, producing a gap-widening society, and consequently disturbing science, technology and education, it is necessary to solve what neo-liberalism is on the basis of political and economical consideration. They comprehensively analyzed neo-liberalism and Ms Thatcher’s administration that is the first experimental example of neo-liberalism. Prof. Hamabayashi (Emeritus Prof. of Hitotsu-bashi Univ.) gave a lecture on the subject, which was followed by many discussions.

ENTERPRISES’ PARTICIPATION IN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY

The elevation of self-sufficiency rate of Japanese foodstuff is earnest wish of the people. The national policy of agriculture, which forms a link in the chain of “structural reform”, has basically changed from this year. The national policy gives many chances to various enterprises, where they, in place of native farmer, come to develop agriculture-related field and farming region by pouring an enormous sum. The research committee of foodstuff problems therefore organized a regular meeting on May 12 in Tokyo, where Mr. Oyama (Dept. of Agriculture And Fisheries) was invited to give a lecture entitled “Enterprises’ participation in agriculture - the present and future“. He discussed how the governmental reform project realized in Japanese agriculture can help contribute to the elevation of Japanese food sufficiency in the future.

< LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN MAY>

1. MIYAZAKI BRANCH
The branch organized the 62nd meeting for thinking of the Constitution and peace on May 3 in Miyazaki City, where Prof. Kimura (Kagoshima Univ.) gave a talk on the theme “What should we realize in order to create a catastrophic movement against the mal-stream of politics?”, which was followed a synthetic discussion.

2. OSAKA BRANCH

1) The study group Hegel’s ‘The Great Logic’ held a meeting on May 5 at St. Andrews University’s Osaka City satellite office in Osaka City, where Profs. Makino (Hannan Univ.) et al. discussed “The Logical Lecture (1831)”, which was followed by Prof. Kakuta (Ritsumei-kan Univ.) gave a seminar on his research
. 2) The 34^th Osaka’s comprehensive scientific symposium entitled “The role of university in the present day society” was organized on May 19 at Osaka University in Suita City, where they exchanged their views on (1) university evaluation, (2) scientific workers’ rights and ethical code, and (3) young scientists’ job hunts.

3. KYOTO BRANCH

The individual members held the 29^th regular meeting on May 9 in Kyoto City, where Dr. Kato (Kyoto branch) gave a talk on scientific workers’ social responsibility, which included war, science, and ethics.

4. TOKYO BRANCH

1) The 33^rd Hachi-oji science forum was held on May 10, where Prof. Kai (Chuo Univ.) made a lecture on the theme “Japanese modernization – the introduction of European science and technological civilization into Japan”. He analyzed it on the basis of his scientific cultural theory.
2) On May 25, Professor Kaneko’s new peace colloquium was organized, where Prof. Kaneko (Rissho Univ.) discussed the National Referendum Law having enacted on May 14.

5. HOKKAIDO BRANCH

The 2007 Hokkaido’s comprehensive scientific symposium entitled “The role of university in the present day society” was organized on May 12 at Hokkaido University in Sapporo City, where they discussed (1) university’s origin, (2) university’s social role and university evaluation, (3) ongoing university curriculum, and (4) private university in the present day.

6. IBARAKI BRANCH

The branch organized a lecture meeting on May 12 in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where Dr. Namai (Tsukuba Univ., ret.) gave a lecture entitled “We should keep watch over the prompt realization of gene manipulating (GM) crops”, which was followed by the branch’s annual convention to summarize the past and future activities of the branch.

7. MIE BRANCH

WE ARE AGAINST THE BILLS TO INTERFERE IN EDUCATION SYSTEM

On May 18, the Lower House passed (to the Upper House) the bills to adversely reverse three education laws, the School Education Law, the Local Education Administration Law and the Teacher’s License law, to which Premier Abe had been giving a top priority in the current Diet session. Premier Abe explained that these bills were to make clear that the objectives of compulsory education include fostering a normative consciousness, a sense of public duty, and the attitude to love our land Japan unquestioningly. In the same series of discussion as the Premier’s one, the Minister of Education Ibuki said that with improvements in normal education and learning about the traditions and culture of our nation, the government would make efforts to foster the attitude to love our country and our hometowns.
We are entirely against the bills to interfere in education system, since they deeply relate to the to-be-amended Constitution (for which the National Referendum Law was forcedly enacted on May 14) that allows Japan to participate in a foreign war, in which the government intends to foster a number of patriotic and warlike youngsters. Designed to implement the adversely revised Fundamental Law of Education, the bills basically infringe on the freedoms of thought and conscience as well as the independence and autonomy of education stipulated in the Constitution. It must be pointed out that the governmental Education Rebuilding Council is planning to upgrade the moral education to a regular subject to be taught in classes, where the School Education Law would be revised for instilling a particular sense of patriotic values in pupils and students. Also criticized are the bills for strengthening the authority of the state and following it to interfere in education. Especially, the revision of the Local Education Administration Law will enable the Education Ministry to instruct local boards of education to rectify, improve their business, and open the way for allowing local boards of education to instruct or advise private schools on carrying out educational practice. The bills would set in schools new posts such as vice principal, head teacher, and supervisory teachers. Coupled with the introduction of a teaching license renewal system, the bill establishes a top-down system in order to impose the government education policies on schools. The planned school administration system makes teachers feel intimidated and concerned about their supervisors’ demand and institutions, which necessarily results in producing many teachers with a warped character. (S. YUASA)