Japanese researchers will be asked to disclose foreign funding
The Yomiuri Shimbun
In a bid to prevent advanced technologies from leaving the country, the government is set to call on researchers who receive public grants to disclose any foreign research funds they receive and the details of research they carry out abroad, in principle.
Based on discussions among a panel of experts to be set up in July, the government plans to lay out guidelines for disclosing this information within 2021.
At present, Japanese universities and research institutions are not obliged to disclose their funding sources. Under the guidelines, if a researcher applies for a public research grant, he or she will be asked to disclose whether or not there are any conflicts of interest, including holding another position at a foreign research institute, and receiving foreign research funds. The government will consider applying a penalty, such as suspending funds, if a researcher is found to have concealed such facts.
The panel of experts will be made up of about 10 academics and headed by Takashi Shiraishi, chancellor of Prefectural University of Kumamoto. In light of cases overseas in which intellectual property has been leaked to a foreign country as a consequence of accepting foreign funds, the panel will propose a list of specific items researchers should disclose and have them reflected in the guidelines.
This will initially be limited to researchers who receive grants under the direct control of the central government's ministries and agencies and those who receive funds from a national research and development agency, such as the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) or RIKEN. The idea that researchers at national universities and similar institutions should be subject to the same request is also emerging.
Behind such moves is a sense of alarm that the advanced technologies Japan has built up might be stolen by foreign countries.
So-called "academic espionage" in connection with science and technology research is regarded as problematic. These are cases in which intellectual property is stolen through joint research or through financing to universities or research institutes. China in particular is moving ahead with its Thousand Talents Recruitment Programme, through which the country invites scientists from across the world and collects cutting-edge technologies and knowledge such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, which can be diverted to military uses.
The United States is tightening its control on Chinese academic espionage, and in January this year a Harvard University professor was arrested and indicted on suspicion of having concealed from the U.S. government the fact that he had been involved with China's talent recruitment plan. The United State thoroughly carries out information disclosure with regard to foreign research funds.
Making reference to such measures by the United Sates, the government will work out the guidelines concerning the source of foreign research funds and decide which items will be subject to disclosure.
According to the Cabinet Office, public research expenditures earmarked in the initial budget for fiscal 2020 total 4,378.7 billion yen, with approximately half of that comprising commission and service fees and the like from central government ministries and agencies. It is believed that a large number of domestic researchers have also been taking part in China's talent recruitment plan. But with no system for reporting or disclosing information in place, the government has been unable to grasp the actual situation. A government source has pointed out that "it is possible China's influence on our academic circles has been advancing behind the scenes."
The government places importance on reinforcing the management of advanced technologies from a viewpoint of economic security. Such reinforcement is also expected to be a pillar of the revision of its national security strategy, which is planned for the near future.
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