Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/18946

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/17539

KEYWORDS : participatory technology assessment (pTA);consensus conference;GM crops

This article discusses the challenges faced by the participatory technology assessment (pTA) in Japan, which is now reaching the practical stage after a decade of introduction, trial and experiment. From November 2006 to February 2007, the prefectural government of Hokkaido held a consensus conference on whether the government should promote or regulate the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in the region (GM Consensus Conference). Within the nation, the Conference was the first pTA event in practical use that has a close linkage to actual policy-making. Through the preliminary case study on GM Consensus Conference, the author found that the method of consensus conference functioned effectively in the real-world settings, especially in eliciting the points of controversy on the introduction of GM crops in Hokkaido. The case also suggested that pTA would be connected loosely to the formal policy decision processes through deliberative councils (shingikai), and that we should consider pTA as a tool for the general public to express their views on technology and seek to finance those parties (NGO/NPOs, universities, mass media, etc.) who are trying to organize pTA events in cooperation with the government or local authorities.