THE BULLETIN OF JSA

No.94 (March 25, 2005)
THE JAPAN SCIENTISTS' ASSOCIATION (JSA)


15TH COMPREHENSIVE SCIENTIFIC STUDY CONVENTION HELD

The JSA Kyoto branch and the headquarters organized the 15th Comprehensive Scientific Study Convention entitled “Aiming at a sustainable civilization” on November 26 through 28 at Campus Plaza Kyoto and Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto City, where around 380 participants attended. Graduate student members published flash reports as needed, which was the first attempt to compactly deliver addresses and discussion in the total meeting and sessions and matters that attended graduate student members questioned. The contents will be read in Kyoto Appeal as below. Here is a remark of a graduate student belonging to the Kyoto branch. “The JSA has confronted with difficulty to enlarge the member, which has been thought to be why it is hard to associate individual study with comprehensive scientific tasks according to complexity and diversification of subjects and segment of knowledge, why institutes have increased since the date of establishment of the JSA, and why researchers have been swallowed up by the big wave of university reform and become busy. The JSA, as a comprehensive scientific society assembling natural, social and humane scientists, has struggled to totally embrace Japanese and world affairs though it has produced various excellent fruits. Instead of considering the problem of decline of young members as that of member enlargement, it must be grappled to build the theory of science, social philosophy, and perception of history based on contemporary phenomena and findings in various study areas. I hope to this end this convention open a breakthrough.”

Kyoto Appeal
To scientists, technicians, and researchers in Japan

November 28, 2004
On the occasion of the 15th JSA Comprehensive Scientific Study Convention

We, members of the Japan Scientists’ Association, held the 15th Comprehensive Scientific Study Convention on the theme “Aiming at a sustainable civilization” to elucidate the factors that obstruct sustainability and discuss in a comprehensive manner the vision to compete with the obstruction. The following five sessions were arranged so as to profoundly investigate problems: (1) Peace, (2) Environments, (3) Economics, (4) Science and Technology, and (5) Education and Culture.
The convention made clear hazardous situations in every subject that human beings and the Earth recently underwent. Acknowledging the situation we lapse into and reflecting on our own activities, we would like to call on each of Japanese scientists, technicians and researchers to bring his/her ability into full play with self-consciousness of responsibility as a human being as well as a specialist.
(1) The war against Iraq, which the Bush Administration waged as a preemptive attack by occasion of the baseless “suspicion of the existence of weapons of mass destruction”, turns out to be a conflict no one can win, newly triggering retaliatory violence. We strongly oppose the U.S.’s further step toward antidemocratic and self-righteous “preemptive tactics” running counter to rules that human society until now has established for peace, and also wish to ring an alarm bell against the Japanese Government’s attitude toeing such U.S.’s risky line as dispatching a troop of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq.
We also contend that one should not only pay attention to a worldwide conspicuously rising stream of antiwar and civic peace movements and multilateral cooperation like the EU and the ASEAN but also struggle to establish a peaceful order across borders to realize world peace, and further an international guarantee of elimination of nuclear weapons and prohibition of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction.
The year 2005 is the 60th year since the end of World War II in which Japan had experienced atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. as a result of Japanese aggression in Asia and the foundation of the UN, and also the 50th year since the Russell-Einstein Manifesto warned. Through confronting the past bona fide and in a scientific manner, we must develop cooperation among researchers and citizens in Asia for the purpose of conquering “bitter legacies”. Esteeming the Japanese Constitution that declares “nonpossession of war potential” and “renunciation of war”, we now appeal for shift to the security policy basing a nonnuclear, peaceful and war-renouncing principle.
(2) The modern industrial civilization has had only two hundred years from the Industrial Revolution in England in the late 18th century. The Revolution developed great industry by machinery, but in the background raised problems as air, water, and noise pollutions. The contemporary industrial civilization after World War II, being based on mass mining of underground resources of minerals and petroleum, mass production, mass consumption, and mass waist-production, caused not only pollution questions in several regions but global questions as acid precipitation, ozone depletion, and global climate change. In addition, there occurred new environmental problems, among which are radio-active contamination caused by nuclear experiments and atomic-power accidents, heavy metal pollution e.g. Mercury, Cadmium and etc., and chemical pollution e.g. dioxin and endocrine disruptors. It should be noted that environment destruction has inclination to strongly inference the socially vulnerable, especially, children and elderly people.
Capitalistic production activity in just two hundred years more has so deteriorated environments as to thread existence of humankind. Human beings can not survive until solving environmental problems. It is very important for us to take the first positive step to “sustainable civilization” with production-consumption system, reducing the burden to environments by developing production system of complete resource and energy saving, recycling-oriented society, and renewable energy such as the sun, wind and biomass etc. The convention, being held at the same place Kyoto where in 1997 Kyoto Protocol (COP 3) was adopted, decided to make presentations to the Japanese Government for this context.
(3) Production and circulation of commodities, service and information have made a rapid expansion on the basis of multiphasic and striking technology innovation, which is deemed to reach a level sufficient to fulfill basic needs of all people on the earth as total amount. Not only are hundreds of million people in many developing countries yet lacking of minimal everyday goods, but social conflicts caused by economic system has been increasing, viewing widening disparity in income levels and hopeless lifelong life security.
We investigated the transition of world economy, namely, how multinational corporations’ activities in the trend of globalization have developed, how international and regional economy systems have been diversified and transformed, how wide-scale transference of capitals, technologies and production bases has been enhanced, and where they lead Japanese economies to.
Through the investigation, we had a profound recognition on the necessity of changing our society to new social system, where people are able to seek a fulfilling life under the environmental constraint beyond material opulence. We thus feel keenly the significance of reducing social gaps, which has continued to widen under the efficiency priority principle, ameliorating unstable employment especially seen in young people, and again cementing a relationship among citizens against segmentation with competition.
(4) Until the fourth quarter of the 20th century, developed capitalistic countries in sequence have reached the “affluent society”. Is this society sustainable in the world? We discussed the role and actual situation of science and technology as a factor of bringing an “affluent society”.
To control environmental destruction is an extremely political and economic matter and also a human historical subject being inevitable for science and technology in the 21st century. We discussed problems arising in flood control, genetically engineered products, information and communication technology, water as goods, and cadmium-contaminated food products. As to the reasonable development of technology, it is important to reconsider what the food product technology should be, which indicates its vulnerability viewing spreads of the BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) and bird flu, the medical technology in the aging society with a decreasing birthrate and what the life manipulation technology should be. In thinking about what the science and technology hereafter should be, it must not be condoned that the recent Japanese policy of technology after the Fundamental Law of Science and Technology is based on the political discipline that regards the science and technology as a tool to seek profits basing on the market principle. Therefore we claim that only its balanced development, which promotes academic studies and its popularization, and stresses fundamental researches, could contribute to utilization of science and technology to realize a peaceful and affluent society.
(5) Viewing the reality in which developed countries have enjoyed a high level of living, we must grope the realization of a sustainable society in the future for successive generation. We are imposed to make arrangements for the existence of coming generation. To realize “sustainable society”, we must fathom concept “symbiosis” of nature and human beings, and build up “new ethics”, “new culture” as a conceptual assumption by saying good-bye to the life-style hitherto wasting resources and energy in order to turn out to a “new life style”.
A matter of children is important to have a view of future generation. Pathological phenomena in education became obvious in the “affluent society”. This occurred because the recent new nationalistic policy of education more than ever impoverishes the educational foundation and condition, and accelerates the crisis of children’s development and education. We are charged with bringing up the next generation, to this end we must clarify the foundation, condition and tasks necessary for the development of children and make continuous efforts to realize.
You all! You and we are living in a momentous period of human history. We would like to advance the following suggestions. Reflecting on how present civilization on the earth should be, let us take the first definite step toward the establishment of a wealth of world, in which nature and humankind abundantly live together, mechanism to peacefully settle wars can function, causes of famine, poverty, social discrimination, inequity and violence of human rights are removed, and medical care and education circulate around all over. To tackle these human-historical tasks, we appeal for more enhancement of the mutual critical cooperation among researchers in social, natural, and human sciences at home and abroad. (translated by K. Nishioka)

THE 19TH WFSW GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ITS SYMPOSIUM HELD

The International Symposium “Science, Knowledge and the Market” was held from October 21 to 23 in Lisbon, Portugal, which was attended by Drs. Kitamura (representative councilor), Abe (executive councilor), Shirai (Waseda Univ.) and Yuasa (Osaka branch). Immediately after the symposium, the 19th General Assembly (GA) of the World Federation of Scientific Workers (WFSW) was organized on October 23 and 24, where Drs. Kitamura and Abe represented the JSA, which was followed by the 73rd Executive Council meeting of the WFSW on October 25. In the GA, Prof. Kitamura read the JSA’s appeal for proposing Asian scientists’ exchange and cooperation, and many representatives proposed the actions for eliminating nuclear weapons. The resolution of the 19th GA also included tackling the nuclear question, which is for the first time in the WFSW history.

NATIONWIDE GATHERINGS
A number of gatherings are held by the JSA alone or in cooperation with other friendly organizations

THE JSA SUMMER SCHOOL IN TOCHIGI (NIKKO AND ASHIO)

The JSA opens a summer school every year primarily for young scientists including graduate students. The summer school 2004 was held in Nikko and Ashio in Tochigi Prefecture on October 9 to 11. This school had 28 participants from all over the country. While Nikko is a famous scenic area that is in particular beautiful in autumn, Ashio is known as a town that had a gross pollution by a copper mine.
In the afternoon session of the first day, participants had a lecture by Mr. T. Oinuma (former teacher, Ashio high school) on the pollution of the Ashio mine, as a preparation for the site inspection scheduled in the second day. In the evening, several participants presented their own researches in the style of poster session, which promoted the mutual friendship of all participants. In the middle day of the school under the Mr Oinuma’s guidance they had inspection of the former site of the Ashio mine, the memorial tower for Chinese forced to work at the mine etc. Dr. Sakamaki (vice president, Japan Association on the Environmental Studies), in his lecture entitled “Thinking of social responsibility of scientists – through activities on environmental pollution”, promoted the understanding of the problems of environmental pollution. Participants, in the evening party, again had rich discussion on their own researches and future course after finishing the graduate school. On the last day, a session entitled “Troubles in studying in graduate school” was held. Reports by two graduate students and one young researcher were delivered, their worries in their life in graduate schools discussed.
During the school, participants could have chances to see, hear, and consider social responsibilities of scientists, five of whom decided to join the JSA. In the preparation for the school, the organizing committee first made a mailing list, and then called for participation as well as ideas for events. This process worked quite well to create a fruitful school for young scientists.

ACTIVITIES OF RESEARCH COMMITTEES AND GROUPS
The JSA headquarters organize a number of research committees and groups undertaken
on a nationwide scale, which are encouraging the members across th country

1) ACTIVITIES OF THE RESEACH COMMITEE FOR POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Although the committee focuses issues on investigation and finding solutions of pollution and environmental problems, missions have changed with the time. The change is not only a scale of problems from local to global. In the information-oriented society we are incorrectly informed concerning environmental problems and skeptical opinions are prevailing. The committee ought to cope with these recognition and opinion in an accurate manner, and diffuse a scientific viewpoint. To this end, it published books about environmental problems, “Kankyo-Tenbo” (environmental prospect) and “Kankyo-Shiryo-Syusei” (data book of environmental and pollution problems), and organized symposiums on the occasion of regular meeting to be held half-yearly. A recent mini-symposium held in February addressed the problem of wastes and recycling, where 40 participants attended. The committee now is engaging in spreading these books so as to disseminate scientific understanding of environmental problems.

2) DAY AND TIME TO BE SOUGHT PEACE PROBLEM RESEARCH

In recent years, the research committee of peace question has tackled the following subjects; 1) a view of the abolition of nuclear weapons, 2) a view of peace in Asia and abolition of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, 3) international role of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, 4) a policy about military affairs in Japan. And the committee has organized several symposiums, reported in the CSSC, and cooperated with organization of Scientists Forum of World Conference against A & H Bombs. After the Cold War, the international public opinion for world peace has made rapid and dynamic movements. On the other hand, the powers against it have increased their brutality. Japanese reactionary forces aim to be in the US’s global strategy, which can be seen in the recent movement of revision of the Constitution. The committee decided to devote its activities to protect of the Constitution.

DISTRICTS AND BRANCHES' ACTIVITIES
The JSA consisits of 47 branches which are grouped into 9 districts, and they are independently
and/or cooperatively carrying out their activities in addition to the headquarters' ones

1) SYMPOSIUM “TECHNOLOGY AND SAFETY OF LIFE” HELD

The symposium was held on September 11 in Kyoto with 13 participants. In the symposium four reports were presented. The reporters and the titles were as follows: 1) Mr. Akashi, “Sustainability of affluent society”; 2) Mr. Tateno, “Rethinking on the concept of sustainable development”; 3) Mr. Ueno, “Defect of comprehensive science in the flood control technology and scope of construction of the flood control technology for sustainable society”; 4) Ms. Komorita, “Overview of change of technology policy after the Basic Law on Science and Technology from the data”.
Mr. Akashi explained J. Galbraith and W. Rostow’ s theories on “affluent society” and pointed out their limit and necessity of the study for the society after the affluent society. Mr. Tateno’s report was as follows. “Sustainability” is a guiding principle for primary industry like agriculture, on the other hand manufacturing industry intends to make products unlimitedly for its profit. Therefore the guiding principle for manufacturing industry is inconsistent with “sustainability”. Mr. Ueno pointed out the problems of the flood control technology after the introduction of the Western technology in Meiji era and necessity of construction of original flood control technology for our country. Ms. Komorita pointed out the problems of the research system after the enactment of the Basic Law on Science and Technology and explained that the increase of research funds is used for investment in order to attain the US’s level.

2) 22ND TYUGOKU DISTRICT SYMPOSIUM HELD

The symposium entitled “For the sake of opening university’s future” was held on September 1, 2004, at Okayama University. Following Prof. Masukawa’s lecture “Thinking of the time scale in academic development”, three sessions “Transformation of university into independently managed agency”, “Reconstruction of university”, and “Education of university” were organized, where 13 reports were presented, and 80 participants earnestly discussed.
The professor magnificently offered a proposition “the time scale in the process from naissance to application of an academic theory must be measured by a century” with clear logic and abundant exempla.
Session 1: The reports “Conditions of employment of teaching staff”, and “How did conditions of employment change by the transformation?” clarified that the labor-management agreement based on free time system, which a majority of national university corporations agreed, is nothing less than a hotbed of Karoshi (death from overwork), according to the reality in the process of labor-management discussion that was analyzed by the Hiroshima University Union. They insisted the agreement should be based on the principle of employee’s rights. The report “The reality of 4 years after the transformation – the case of National Fishery University (independently administrative agency)” shows the authority is planning to readjust whole organization and administration in the medium target for the first term 5 years to make a decision for a half of 53 agencies within 2004, and push ahead the line of integration, abolishment and reduction. In the report “The task in the transformation into independent managed agency and the university reform – Aiming to establish the university charter”, nine university charters in Japan were analyzed due to World Declaration on Higher Education of UNESCO, and tasks for the university reformation were proposed.
Session 2: The reform plan in Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology of Okayama University, the actual situation and issues in Graduate School of Law of Okayama University and Law School of Shimane University were reported. Though, for the purpose of augmentation of legal profession in local regions and pass rate in National Bar Examination, 68 Law Schools across the country were established beyond speculation, some problems on securement of personnel and students and no pass applicants, no employees in local regions and no budgets for the institutions arose. Tottori University has made a compact with Shimane University to newly establish Education and Regional Sciences instead of the faculty that had assigned a teacher’s certificate as a requirement for graduation as a measure to nationwide and locally decreasing demand for teachers.
Session 3: Some topics of practical activities were reported: Education Amelioration Committee consisting of students, teaching and official staffs (Okayama Univ.), a sample of university education conquering the conventional philosophy that insists the declination in academic achievement and self-help of students (Ehime Univ.), collaboration of high schools and universities in Super Science High School by science teachers in high schools designed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and actual situation of scholastic ability in junior high school and high school chemical education along new curriculum guidelines.

3) MERGERS OF MUNICIPALITIES DISCUSSED IN FUKUI

September lecture under the above title was held to have a proper understanding about a merger problem occurred in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, which has been covered in TV and press. Mr. Kitade explained his experience from the viewpoint of grass-root campaign. The points are: 1) the merger plan with Fukui City designed at the discretion of the mayor of Sabae City has confused citizen; 2) the city assembly has discussed merely augmentation of project budget of construction; 3) the merger reduces grants for local government and produces claims and debts, thus the city office cannot disclose the result of financial simulation; 4) the transformation to a major urban area (300,000 population) by merger would increase business tax and city-planning tax. The campaign movement for poll of residents by dialogue and collecting signatures blossomed to recall and resignation of mayor, which was the first case in the history of Fukui Prefecture. Citizens including conservative councilors, members of chamber of commerce and industry and agricultural cooperative have found the beauty of city, such as the existence of staff in public halls, the convenience of the library, Sabae brand goods (eye glasses and lacquer wares), decided to protect Sabae City in stead of merger.

4) EXCHANGE MEETING OF WOMEN MEMBERS HELD.

Women members of the Tokyo branch held the 7th exchange meeting on October 2 in Tokyo entitled “To convert biomass, ligin (mountain) and sea lettuce (sea)”. Dr. Enoki, a member of the group, introduced her works. She, in her early thirties, is a young and spirited researcher. From undergraduate days till post doctoral fellow days, she has been studying on lignin. She is now studying on sea lettuce as an assistant of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Lignin is a major constituent of liquid wastes from paper mills when wood is utilized as a raw material for paper, now incinerated. On the other hand, sea lettuce grows with the eutrophication in the sea, causing environmental problems. To make better use of these materials is now a consistent purpose of the research. She is studying to elucidate chemical properties of the materials and trying to develop methods to convert the biomass materials into building materials. After talking on her works, she continued to touch upon her research circumstances. Though once seriously involved in peace movements, she feared that severe competitive circumstances as well as the research leader’s altitude may force her to lose her human nature. Participants, most middle-aged, sympathized with her, and received this young member with applause expecting her future development.

5) “INTER-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION” DISCUSSED

The organizing committee (Kagawa, Tokushima, Kochi and Ehime branch) held the Shikoku District Symposium on the title “Thinking of cooperative interaction between university and local community”, where (1) Prof. Ueda (Kochi Univ.) touched upon so-called “knowledge network between university and local community”, (2) Prof. Matsumoto and Yuasa (Ehime Univ.) presented their actual work of their university’s contribution to a local related community, (3) Prof. Fukai (Kagawa Univ.) discussed university’s contribution to local community, and (4) Prof. Hirai (Tokushima Univ.) proposed a special activity for his contributing to the community – the case of Tokushima University, respectively. Afterwards, they exchanged their views and discussed enthusiastically.

6) U.S. MARINE HELICOPTER CRASH INTO THE OKINAWA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

On October 15, the JSA Okinawa branch held a regular meeting to discuss the above event following Prof. Kamata’s (Dean, Faculty of Commercial Science, Okinawa Intl. Univ.) report. He says we must determine that the event a US Marine CH-53D heavy assault helicopter crashed on August 13 was the worst, which has had to happen considering that the Marines has repeated flight training over the residential areas despite recognizing them as the most dangerous ones in the world. The debris scattered in the campus of OIU and the residential area, hitting directly private houses. The crash event violated sovereignty and university autonomy. In fact, at the crash site, US military personnel that trespassed on the site excluded university officials, blocked the site, carried away debris refusing investigation of Okinawan authorities. That was an irresponsible fling unexplainable even under the Status of Forces Agreement. The US military official stated that the event has been not a crash but an emergency landing and admired pilot’s action to help evacuate residents and minimize the damage, though things has been uncontrollable. Low flying training has resumed after two days from the event, the same types of helicopters, 9 days after, has token off bound for Iraq over residential areas. Primer Koizumi continued to ignore the event, and the Japanese government and Okinawa local government took action to the event, to hasten the construction of Henoko new base on sea.
This crash event indicates that the new system of the Japan-US Security Treaty has a top priority and directly been linked to the US’s global strategy such as Iraqi war. In OIU, besides its protest against the resumption of U.S. military helicopter flights and actions of investigation and recovery, voluntary faculties are progressing actions of gathering on campus on 13th day of every month and organizing the first lectures of classes to discuss the helicopter crash problem. A recent poll shows 94% of Okinawans oppose the relocation of Futemma base to anywhere in Okinawa. The civil gathering held on September 12 at the OIU ground met 30,000 participants, each of whom seemed to have had a deep feeling to demand a safe and secure life as in one-time reversion movement of Okinawa.

7) NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON COAL AND ENERGY IN KUSHIRO

The symposium was held in Kushiro City on November 13 with over 130 participants. Before the symposium about 20 participants made a field trip to Kushiro coal mine that mines coal of 0.7million tons per year. Mr. Yagi as a representative of “Society for long term continuation of the last Japanese mine” presented the purport and meaning of the symposium and Dr. Nakajima (Working group of Technical policy) explained the activity of the Science Council of Japan for the continuance of Japanese coal mine.  Two key presentations were given by Dr. Motojima (Earth Res. Inst.) and Mr. Ishikawa (Keio Univ.). Dr. Motojima pointed out that the coal reserves estimated about twenty billion tons in Japan are very valuable for Japan that imports 80% of total energy amount. Mr. Ishikawa suggested that it is important to accept the trainees from Vietnam and China and to train them for mining and safety technology. He also requested the continuance of Kushiro coal mine as the Asian coal technology center. A panel discussion was held by four panelists; Dr. Motojima, Mr. Ishikawa, Dr. Watanabe (Working group for energy and environment) and Mr. Yamada (The Hokkaido Industrial Archaeology Society)

8) PEACE AND NUCERAR ELIMINATION DISCUSSED

On November 14, the Tokai district organized the above symposium on the title “Japanese role on the Asian framework for peace” at Nagoya University. In the first session, Prof. Asai (Meiji-gakuin Univ.) gave a lecture on the title “Expansion of the system for cooperation and friendship in Asia, and the role of the Constitution of Japan”. He urged the government not to follow the US administration but defend the Constitution. The second session was to discuss the further activity under the theme “Let us construct a strong peace wave against nuclear weapons with the 60th anniversary (2005) of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a turning-point – Let us urge the nuclear weapon-having nations to necessarily realize ‘the definite agreement for eliminating nuclear weapons’ signed in the 2000-NPT agreement”, where they exchanged views on the international movements for nuclear elimination, the mathematicians’ anti-nuke activity, Iraq war, and the future citizens’ movements against nuclear weapons.

9) SEMINAR FOR JUNIOR RESEARCHERS HELD

The Miyazaki branch held the 9th seminar for junior researchers at Miyazaki University on October 29. In the seminar senior researchers were to talk about what they have done. The invited speaker was Prof. Ohno (Miyazaki Univ.) His lecture was on “Degenerative or progressive shift from fundamental to applied researches”. Most of 34 participants were undergraduate students. He talked about his own achievements from the time when he entered the university to the present and touched upon his failure, development and encounter with many people having talented personality. After graduating from university, he got a part time job at Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Experimental Station. He worked at the lab of fruit fly with actively working insect ecologists, and joined hot discussions on the application of the sterile insect technique through male-only release for control of melon fly. Then he was absorbed in the behavioral ecology in his graduate school days. He was assigned as an expert to the Institute of Postgraduate Studies in Agriculture in Bangladesh, now BSMRAU. He experienced a research circumstance different from Japan. When in Okinawa, he felt some confusion about the policy that demanded to do the actual work. This experience made him realize keenly how important the fundamental research and the good research circumstances are. He studied the territory fight of egg parasitoids, a kind of small bee, and finally developed the integrated pest control. The central point was to reduce amount of chemical substance consumption by combining the methods of using natural enemies in farmer’s green houses. His eventful life attracted and encouraged students and gave them a golden opportunity to think of their future as a researcher.
After the seminar participants enjoyed a get-together and exchanged their views with the speaker.

ARTICLES OF "JOURNAL OF JAPANESE SCIENTISTS"
The Journal of Japanese Scientists or NIHON NO KAGAKUSHA (in Japanese) covering all the
scientific fields is monthly published and distributed to all the members and other readers

Vol.39(No.12)(2004)
[Title-page message]
Iwanami, M.: Gold medal
[Special issue: The anxious health, food and agriculture in Japan]
Sakai, T.: Zoonosis – The state and measures for infectious diseases originated from animals
Ikegami, S.: Current status of food safety in Japan
Nishimura, I.: The eating habits of children now
Fuyuki, K.: Rice distribution under policy reform in Japan
[Colloquy]
Ikegami, J.: Assisted reproductive technology and “Brave New World”
[General]
Ishihama, A.: Frontier of modern molecular biology
Hirowatari, S.: The reform of the science council of Japan Act
[From Laboratory]
Yamane, S.: Biodiversity: Its mysterious implications

Vol.(40)(No.1)(2005)
[Title-page message]
Tsuchiya, M.: The spirit of Fundamental Law of Education – How to make the most of it in 21st century?
[Special issue: Is Japanese technology all right?]
Hiranuma, T.: Consideration on skill; In relation to in-plant-education & training
Kimura, N.: The cause and the background of the decline of the technical power and the collapse
Yamaguchi, K.: A dismal state of technique transmission in Japanese companies: The case of IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries)
Tokoyama, E.: A problem of handicraft and technology education in Japanese school – Curriculum from comparative perspective with Sweden
[Colloquy]
Nakatomi, K.: Academic freedom and charter of university
[Series: My graduate school days]
Funaki, T.: The days when I was trained through contributing papers to journals
[General]
Kawahara, Y.: Culture and confusion: Toward reconstruction of the concept of culture
Asami, T.: A comment on the maximum allowable limit, 1.0 ppm, of cadmium in unpolished rice (part 4): International examination on the maximum limits of cadmium in foods and Japanese policy

Vol.(40)(No.2)(2005)
[Title-page message]
Watanabe, T.: What is “Useful Study”?
[Special issue: Current situation and issues of natural energy in Hokkaido – With a central focus on biomass]
Ohtomo, N.: A note on the conceptual problems of natural energy
Kanuma, K.: Current state and problems of the wood biomass
Matsuda, J.: Current status and problems confronting biogas plants for livestock waste
Takahashi, N.: Reality and subject of fishery-biomass in Hokkaido
Yamagata, S.: Bioenergy from waste – Its present state and agenda
Iwahara, S.: Rural resources evolve local society
[Colloquy]
Tanaka, A.: Lectures obeyed to the needs of students
[Series: The focus problems with the amendments to the Constitution of Japan]
Kaneko, M.: Why were today’s problems with the amendments to the Constitution of Japan produced?
[Series: My graduate school days]
Matsugi, T.: Precious experiences outside classroom
[General]
Izumi, K.: Endocrine- disrupting effects of pesticides in Japan
[From laboratory]
Shinya, T.: On recent criminal legislations in Japan