"Not Conducting War Technology Research"... Japanese Scientists Opposing the 'Far-Right' [Reading Science]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) coalition's landslide victory in the recent Japanese House of Councillors election, Japanese scientists are opposing the government's policy to promote military and war-related science and technology research and development (R&D).

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 24th, the LDP led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced during the House of Councillors election that it would double the defense budget to 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with China. This increase in the defense budget is likely to be heavily invested in R&D areas such as cybersecurity, space development, and marine technology.

The problem is that these scientific and technological fields are clearly going to be militarily repurposed. Until the 2000s, Japan complied with its pacifist constitution, which prohibited the development of offensive weapons, but since the administration of former Prime Minister Abe, who was assassinated recently, investment in R&D of science and technology that can be militarily repurposed has resumed. A representative example is the establishment of a basic science fund by the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) under the Ministry of Defense in 2015, with an annual budget of 10 billion yen (approximately 72 million dollars). Especially since May, with the enforcement of the Economic Security Law aimed at restricting strategic technology exports and securing supply chains, 500 billion yen has been allocated for R&D budgets for this purpose.

In response, some Japanese scientists and researchers are protesting by refusing to conduct research on science and technology that can be repurposed for war at any time. Atsushi Sunami, Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan, pointed out, "Radar systems for missile detection, sensor technologies for tracking and monitoring submarines of neighboring countries, and the development of new material technologies to enhance computing capabilities are included in ATLA's research plans," adding, "Although the term 'military use' is not explicitly attached, these are technologies that can be used militarily both now and in the future."

In 2017, Japanese scientists also issued a collective statement under the name of the Japan Science Council, declaring their refusal to engage in research for military or war purposes. Since then, many universities have decided not to apply for ATLA's research support projects, and the number of ATLA research grant applications from university researchers has sharply declined.

There are also voices claiming that the government's increased investment in specific R&D infringes on academic freedom. Atsushi Sugita, professor of political philosophy at Hosei University, pointed out, "If the government increases investment in prioritized research, it infringes on the academic freedom of researchers to choose research they are curious about," adding, "When funding is based on public policy, it is inevitable that some important research fields will be neglected."

There are also concerns about increased research opacity. Although research results funded by ATLA have been disclosed so far, there is no guarantee that this will continue in the future.