Dennis NormileJapan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, has disrupted the process by which scientists are appointed to serve on the governing body of the country’s leading academic society.
Researchers see the move against the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) as a threat to academic freedom.SCJ is the country’s leading academic society.
It makes policy recommendations, promotes scientific literacy and international cooperation, and represents the interests of more than 800,000 scholars in virtually all academic disciplines.
Its current president is Takaaki Kajita, a 2015 Nobel Prize winner in physics who just assumed his post.The council’s governing body, called the General Assembly, is made up of 210 members serving staggered 6-year terms.