Academic Nominees Not Accepted In 2016
Former senior members of Japan's leading academic body have disclosed that the prime minister's office did not accept its choice of candidates for membership four years ago.
The Science Council of Japan is designated a special organization under the jurisdiction of the prime minister, but makes policy proposals independently of the government.
Former members of the council told NHK that its nomination committee chose three scholars to fill vacant seats after three members reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in the summer of 2016. They say the prime minister's office asked the council to explain the nomination process, and showed reluctance to appoint two of the three, without giving any reason.
As the council refused to name replacements, the three seats remained vacant until the autumn of 2017, when a regular change in the membership roster took place.
One of the former members says replacing nominees would have meant the council was buckling under pressure from the government. The scholar says it was unacceptable that the government made it impossible to nominate members based on their academic merits, adding that the occurrence should have been disclosed at the time.
The then-president of the council, Onishi Takashi, says he was surprised that the prime minister's office showed reluctance to accept candidates the council had chosen after much deliberation. He says the nominees were respectable people, and notes that the occurrence was a bitter experience for him.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide recently decided not to appoint six nominees among dozens put forward for the council, drawing criticism from opposition party members and others.
The six scholars were opposed to security-related bills submitted by the government under Suga's predecessor, Abe Shinzo.
