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Advisory Opinion
Remodeling science and society for the next 20 years:
Ten recommendations from Young Academy of Japan
Young Academy of Japan, Science Council of Japan
Sep 28th 2023
i
This Advisory Opinion summ arizes and publishes the result s of the deliberations of
Young Academy of Japan, Science Council of Japan.
Young Academy of Japan
Chair Wataru
Iwasaki (Associate Member) Professor, Graduate School of Frontier
Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Vice-chair Nina
Yasuda (Associate Member) Professor, Graduat e School of Agricultural and
Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Secretary Haruka Ono (Associate Member) Advisor to the President, Toyohashi University
of Technology
Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Engineering, Toyohashi University of
Technology
Secretary Manabu
Matsunaka (Associate Member) Professor, Graduate School of Law, Nagoya
University
Asano
Ishikawa (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Shinsuke
Imada (Associate Member) Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary
Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
Naoki
Irie (Associate Member) Professor, Research Center for Integrative
Evolutionary Science, SOKENDAI
Rie
Iwanaga (Associate Member) Professor, Department of Social Welfare,
Faculty of Human Sociology, Japan Women's University
Makoto
Iwamura (Associate Member) Distinguis hed Researcher, Nippon Telegraph
and Telephone Corporation
Sotaro
Uemura (Associate Member) Professor, Gr aduate School of Science, The
University of Tokyo
Motomu
Endo (Associate Member) Professor, Nara Institute of Science and
Technology, Nara, Japan
Ryosuke
Endo (Associate Member) Lecturer, Graduate School of Agriculture,
Osaka Metropolitan University
Hisae
Kasai (Associate Member) Associate Prof essor, Faculty of Fisheries
Science, Hokkaido University
Chihiro
Kato (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture and
Life Science, Hirosaki University
Shinsuke
Kawagucci (Associate Member) Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC),
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Akihiro (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Department of Applied
Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu The original was written in Japanese and SCJ provides English version of the Executive Summary for non-
Japanese readers. ii Kishimura University, and Center for Molecular Systems,
Kyushu University
Daisuke
Komori (Associate Member) Specially Appointed Professor, Green Goals
Initiative, Tohoku University
Yasuhisa
Kondo (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Research Institute for
Humanity and Nature, National Institutes for the Humanities
Nami
Sakai (Associate Member) Chief Scientist, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering
Research
Kana
Sasakura (Associate Member) Professor, Faculty of Law, Konan University
Wakako
Sanefuji (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Faculty of Human
Environment Studies, Kyushu University
Yoko
Shimpuku (Associate Member) Vice President, Hiroshima University;
Professor, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University
Masayo
Soma (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Department of Biological
Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University
Akira
Tai (Associate Member) Associate Prof essor, Faculty of Social and
Environmental Studies, Fukuoka Institute of
Technology
Kenkichi
Takase (Associate Member) Professor, Department of Psychology,
Graduate School of Letters, Chuo University
Tomomi
Takada (Associate Member) Professor, Graduate School of Business
Administration, Kobe University
Yasuo
Takatsuki (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Research Institute for
Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University
Hironari
Takeda, (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University
Hitomi
Takemura (Associate Member) Professor, Graduate School of Law,
Hitotsubashi University
Taisuke
Tsuchiya (Associate Member) Associate Profe ssor, Institute of Humanities
and Social Sciences (Faculty of Economic Sciences), Niigata University
Masanori
Tohno (Associate Member) Senior Resear cher, National Agriculture and
Food Research Organization, Research Center for Genetic Resources and Livestock Research Division, Research Division of Fundamental Technology, National Institute of Agro-Food Science and Technology
Yoriko
Tominaga (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University
Yumiko
Nakajima (Associate Member) Professor, School of Materials Science and
Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology iii Waka
Nakanishi (Associate Member) Senior Researcher, Polymer and Biomaterials
Research Center, National Institute for Materials Science
Kazuyoshi
Nishijima (Associate Member) Associate Prof essor, Disaster Prevention
Research Institute, Kyoto University
Satoko
Fujioka (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Department of Applied
Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University
Tomoki
Maekawa (Associate Member) Research Professor, Graduate School of
Medical and Dental Sciences, Center for
Advanced Oral Science, Niigata University
Kouta
Minamizawa (Associate Member) Professor, Graduate School of Media Design,
Keio University
Akira
S Mori (Associate Member) Professor, Research Center for Advanced
Science and Technology, The University of
Tokyo
Nozomu
Yachie (Associate Member) Associate Professor, School of Biomedical
Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Visiting Professor, Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Specially Appointed Professor, Premium
Research Institute for Human Metaverse Medicine (WPI-PRIMe), Osaka University
Miyae
Yamakawa (Associate Member) Associate Professor, Associate Professor,
Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Asuka
Yamada (Associate Member) Professor, Department of Architecture, School
of Science for Future Life, Tokyo Denki
University
Naoko
Yoshinaga (Associate Member) Assistant Professor, Department of Applied
Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
Shingo
Ebata (Designated
Associate Member) Professor, Office of Strategic Management,
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Sota
Kimura (Designated
Associate Member) Professor, Faculty of Law, Tokyo Metropolitan
University
Ryuma
Shineha (Designated
Associate Member) Associate Professor, Research Center on
Ethical, legal, and Social Issues, Osaka University
Hirofumi
Shintaku (Designated
Associate Member) Professor, Institute for Life and Medical
Sciences, Kyoto University
Kazuya
Tanaka (Designated
Associate Member) Research Fellow, GRIPS Alliance, National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Saeko
Terada (Designated
Associate Member) Assistant Professor, College of Arts and
Sciences, Tamagawa University
Tomoya
Hanibuchi (Designated
Associate Member) Associate Professor, Graduate School of
Letters, Kyoto University iv Sachiko
Hirata-Mogi (Designated
Associate Member)
The following staff members prov ided administrative support in the pre paration of this
advisory opinion.
SCJ
Secretariat Noriyoshi
Masuko Director, Division for Scientific Affairs I
Hiroshi
Yamada Deputy Director, Division for Scientific Affairs I
Kouki
Takeda Official, Division for Scientific Affairs I
5 Executive Summary
1 Rationale for this Statement
The innovation landscape in Japan is reaching a critical juncture as its global prominence in science
and related fields declines. For a nation with limited resources, su stained innovation is crucial to
fostering new values and ensuring a prosperous future, both materially and culturally. Young
Academy of Japan, which belongs to Science Council of Japan, is a unique body composed of
researchers under the age of 45 who conduct cutting- edge research in diverse fields spanning
humanities, social sciences, and natural scienc es. Young Academy of Japan is poised to conduct
innovation over the next two decades from an academ ic perspective. Thus, Young Academy of Japan
has assessed the barriers to i nnovations holistically and considered possible remedies. Based on these
interdisciplinary deliberations, we have identifie d ten issues and formulated recommendations for
solving them.
2 Current Status and Challenges
To promote innovation over the next 20 years from scientific and academic perspectives, it is
essential to bridge the gap between academic di sciplines, strengthen co llaboration with local
stakeholders, and enhance international collaborat ion. All of them are based on a foundation built on
accumulating knowledge and technology in basic and traditional fields. Despite these goals, the foundation that supports innovation is eroding due to intense competition for research funding and
positions, an overreliance on quantitative metrics that ar e ill-suited to exploring research such as
interdisciplinary and regional collaborative studies, diminished stable funding such as basic expenses,
insufficient technical professionals and administrativ e staff, and a deteriora ting research environment
due to overwhelming workloads. This not only depl etes the time and mental bandwidth needed to
address the academic issues, but has also curtaile d research on important academic issues, regional
challenges, and international coll aborations. In addition, these are driving an exodus of talent and
reducing the number of graduate students. To be trul y innovative, there is an urgent need to support
a diverse cohort of graduate stude nts - the future torchbearers of innovation - and to create career
paths that enable researchers to work across fields and sectors. The academic sector needs to critically assess its current state and impl ement profound improvements to it s research envi ronment. Swift
action on these fronts will catalyze interdisciplinary studies, international co llaboration, and regional
collaboration, paving the way for innovative leaps in the next two decades (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Five areas that need to be addressed to foster innovation
3 Content of the Advisory Opinion
The following are ten pressing issues that must be addressed immediately to foster innovations
by envisioning academia and society in the coming 20 years (Figure 2).
(1) Cultivating fundamental and tr aditional knowledge and technology
Cultivation and accumulation of knowledge and tec hnology in fundamental fields is the fertile
6 ground for innovations.
(2) Strengthening evaluation and support for interdisciplinary research and regional
collaboration with local stakeholders
A system for evaluating academic ventures aime d at interdisciplinary research and solving
regional challenges need s staffing and budgeting.
(3) Enhancing core facilities with Ph.D. holders
Strengthening core facilities with skilled techni cal personnel with doctoral degrees is needed to
promote innovations and expand car eer paths of Ph.D. holders.
(4) Cultivating a cross-sect or collaborative ecosystem
A system to let academia, industry, government, and local stakeholders collaborate to address
interdisciplinary challenges is needed.
(5) Enhancing foundational funding and research support personnel
We see a paradoxical situation where competitiv e funds are underutilized due to a lack of
foundational expenses and human resources.
(6) Establishing career paths in science diplomacy
Cultivating individuals capable of spearh eading science and technology diplomacy and
developing their career tr ajectories are important.
(7) Overcoming the "zero-failure" bur eaucratic mind in science management
To truly drive innovation, it is imperative to move beyond the bureaucratic mindset. It is
necessary to understand and accept inhe rent risks of pioneering work.
(8) Reducing the burden of education on households
To stem the decline in the number of graduate stud ents, it is essential to substantially reduce the
financial burden of education on families.
(9) Breaking free from the "a ctivity traps" of academia
It is essential to change the culture that appreciates the relentless effort and refine its operations
to ensure alignment with its core objectives.
(10) Promoting inter-sectoral career paths for Ph.D. holders
It is imperative to promote the integration of sp ecialized expertise across sectors, increase job
mobility, and promote job-based employment.
Figure 2 Ten Recommendations fo r Science and Society in 2040
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