[Reading Science] Leave Science Diplomacy to the Experts

Ram Emanuel, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, is not a career diplomat. His background is heavily rooted in politics, having served as White House Chief of Staff under the Barack Obama administration, a three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Mayor of Chicago. It is natural that attention is focused on what kind of diplomatic activities such a heavyweight ambassador will undertake. As expected, he has taken the lead in strengthening the close ties between the Biden administration and Japan. He has also played the role of a vanguard confronting Chinese President Xi Jinping with sharp criticism.

There are some distinctive aspects in Ambassador Emanuel’s approach. It is science diplomacy. In May, coinciding with the G7 Summit held in Hiroshima, a ceremony took place where U.S. companies IBM and Google donated $150 million to the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago for quantum computer development. Ambassador Emanuel led this event. The starting point was when he was having a meal with the president of the University of Tokyo and was asked if he was interested in quantum computers. This lunch meeting resulted, nine months later, in U.S. companies investing in U.S.-Japan cooperation on quantum computing.

The seeds sown by Ambassador Emanuel have extended to South Korea as well. Recently, Ambassador Emanuel, together with Yoon Deok-min, the South Korean Ambassador to Japan, facilitated the announcement of a joint declaration for IBM to engage in quantum computing education cooperation among universities in Korea, the U.S., and Japan, including Seoul National University and Yonsei University. His philosophy on science diplomacy can be seen in an interview with Science & Diplomacy, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "Sports are often mentioned as a channel for communication between countries, but science is also a form of soft power that can greatly contribute to diplomatic efforts." Ambassador Emanuel’s remarks highlight what will be important in the future flow of diplomacy.

Ambassador Emanuel said that he comes from a family of scientists, with both his father and brother being doctors, and that working under Presidents Clinton and Obama gave him the perspective that science can create points of dialogue between nations. It is natural that results come where there is interest. How is science diplomacy carried out? Emanuel introduced that he proposed the cooperation between the U.S. and the University of Tokyo and asserted that without the support of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, IBM and Google would not have funded Japanese universities. He also explained that since he had been the Mayor of Chicago and had an interest in quantum and artificial intelligence, he was able to connect the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo. It is not easy for politics and diplomacy to keep up with the advancement of science and technology. However, political involvement in supporting science is different. What cannot be solved by scientists’ networks alone can become possible through political and diplomatic intervention.

What about our situation? A report titled “The Rise of Science Diplomacy in U.S.-China Strategic Competition: Strategies and Tasks for South Korean Science and Technology Diplomacy”, published last August by the National Assembly Future Research Institute, emphasized the need for organizations related to science and technology diplomacy and the cultivation of personnel in this field. The report also diagnosed that overseas organizations under the Ministry of Science and ICT are insufficient in planning and securing international joint research centered on national R&D. It advised that beyond simple information gathering, active science diplomacy is necessary to secure national interests, but capabilities are lacking. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the position of ‘Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation’ as a special envoy in 2021, this is insufficient. Before it is too late, how about sending scientists or senior officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT as consuls general or consuls to San Francisco, home to Silicon Valley, and Boston, the forefront of biotechnology? Appointing scientists as special envoys is also an option. Perhaps the more visible the effort, the greater the gains.