Given the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Japan is at a major point to reevaluate its policies on the public communication of science. However, the government's self-reflection on their measures and policies of science communication has been inadequate. This study reviewed and analyzed descriptions of science-related public communication in the successive Japanese white papers on science and technology (S&T) from 1958 to 2015 with quantitative-qualitative hybrid approaches. Traditional enlightenment activities have always been given higher priority, even after the S&T Basic Plan aimed at two-way science communication, and have used such justifications as “the shying-away of young people from S&T,” “accountability for research investment,” and “problem-solving on issues related to S&T and society,” without considering the reality of science communication.
Persistence of the Deficit Model in Japan's Science Communication: Analysis of White Papers on Science and Technology
Seiko Ishihara-Shineha is assistant professor of the Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence, College of Arts and Science, at the University of Tokyo. She received her PhD in biostudies from Kyoto University in 2009 and then worked in research planning and management at Teijin Ltd., a materials/chemical manufacturer, from 2009 to 2012. She was a member of the Cross-Boundary Innovation Program at Osaka University, where she was an assistant professor from 2012 to 2015. Her current research focus is on practice and policy analysis of transferable skills training for researchers.
Seiko Ishihara-Shineha; Persistence of the Deficit Model in Japan's Science Communication: Analysis of White Papers on Science and Technology. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 1 September 2017; 11 (3): 305–329. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/18752160-3819961
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