Charter of Science Council of Japan (SCJ)
Charter of the Science Council of Japan (resolved at the 152nd General Assembly on April 8, 2008)
Science is the system of academic knowledge and technology shared by humankind. Research activities conducted by scientists lead to the extensional expansion and the intensional enrichment and deepening of these intellectual assets. Scientists who are engaging in these activities inherit public intellectual assets, which are the heritage of humanity, and are mandated by society to contribute to public well-being by discovering new knowledge and developing new technologies beyond the fundamentals they inherit, and to contribute to peaceful developments that harmonize the global environment and human society. In order to accept its legislated position as an institution representing Japan’s scientific community, and to respond to its mandate by contributing to the promotion of responsible research activities as well as education and dissemination activities, the Science Council of Japan will autonomously abide by the following obligations and responsibilities.
Article 1
The Science Council of Japan is, as a representative institution of Japan’s scientific community, an organization whose basic functions are to deliberate on important scientific matters and contribute to its realization, and to strive for further development by promoting the expansion and collaboration of scientific research. The Science Council of Japan shall act in a way that is appropriate for its status and missions.
Article 2
In discharging its missions, the Science Council of Japan shall act with a deep awareness of the importance of a universal perspective and a comprehensive and multifaceted point of view, by utilizing its organizational structure which subsumes all disciplines consisting of humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Article 3
The Science Council of Japan shall, after a process of careful deliberation, publicly communicate scientifically based information, well-informed recom-mendations and opinions, thereby contributing to social choices regarding public policies and social institutions.
Article 4
The Science Council of Japan shall contribute to developing the rich scientific grounding and cultural sensibility of citizens; it shall also be charged with the function of promoting research activities to extend the forefront of science, and utilizing and disseminating the achieved outcomes; it shall further promote both the education of the next generation of researchers who will inherit these accomplishments as well as the participation of female researchers.
Article 5
The Science Council of Japan shall actively liaise with domestic as well as overseas academic societies, and shall contribute to the expansion and deepening of national and international cooperative activities that are aimed at the creative development of science.
Article 6
The Science Council of Japan shall emphasize not only the perspective that the current generation living in different countries should be treated equitably, but also the perspective that the current generation and future generations should also be treated equitably, and as such, shall contribute to the creation and promotion of science as a common asset for all humanity.
Article 7
When electing Council Members and Members, the Science Council of Japan shall freely accept its obligation and responsibility to act with prudence, so as to ensure that it is able to conduct its activities in a sustained manner as a representative institution of Japan’s scientific community.
Under this pledge of the Science Council of Japan, Council Members and Members publicly vow to society to abide by these obligations and responsibilities.
