open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/77797

Recent Trends and New Approaches of Public Engagement in Japan

英語

2014-05-05

Public Communication of Science and Technology

Following nearly two decades of research and trials, public engagement (PE) was finally introduced into Japanese national science and technology policy after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. The government used a deliberative poll (DP) when drawing up its new energy strategy, which was nevertheless retracted soon after the change of government in 2012. This aboutface shows that the PE mechanism has not yet taken root in the national policymaking arena in Japan, and it is necessary for society as a whole to gain more experience in PE in science and technology. The creation of a national network of dialogues is a promising way of applying PE in Japan on a universal scale, and the experience of World Wide Views on Biodiversity (WWViews 2012) in Japan demonstrated that science centers can act as excellent hubs for such a network. After WWViews 2012, the authors developed a two-hour PE workshop program for disseminating informal dialogues on science-in-society issues as well as a scheme for creating a network of dialogues with science centers acting as local hubs. Our future research will be directed at the design of a national resource center for dialogues which can provide various resources to develop a sustainable network of dialogues.

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