Science & Technology for Society – Comprehensive Exam Notes

Introduction – Section 1.2 “Science & Technology for Society”

  • Key concept: future progress depends on “science and technology for society and in society”.
  • Two perspectives employed in the chapter:
    • “For society” → contribution, prosperity, problem-solving.
    • “In society” → location of S&T inside culture, ethics, economy, policy.
  • Metaphor of rain on a mountain → basic research (forest catchment) ⇒ diverse R&D streams ⇒ practical technologies (river for farms & cities).
    • Moral: Scientific knowledge=Society’s foundation strength\text{Scientific knowledge} = \text{Society’s foundation strength}; requires long-term accumulation.

1.2.1 Creation & Utilization of Knowledge

  • Scientific activity = discovery of laws ➜ new knowledge ➜ social use.
  • Rising importance in the 21st-century “knowledge-based society”.
  • Science (esp. natural sciences) is examined as the base for “S&T for society”.
1.2.1.1 Science’s Contribution to Human Civilization
  • Historically technology served convenience; science grew from natural philosophy & curiosity.
  • Pre-1850: little systematic link between science & practical technology.
  • Post-1850 chemical & electrical industries formed explicit science–technology pipelines.
  • Science reshapes space, time, human potential, and value systems.
Iconic Paradigm Shifts (value-changing discoveries)
  • 1543–1630 Copernican–Kepler–Galileo heliocentrism → modern worldview.
  • 1905 Einstein’s photon, Brownian motion, Special Relativity → new concept of space-time & philosophy.
  • 1929 Hubble expansion → 1946 Big Bang (Gamow) → 1965 Cosmic background radiation.
  • 1915 Wegener continental drift → 1960s plate tectonics evidence.
  • Life-science milestones: Darwin evolution (1859); 1953 DNA double helix; 1973 gene recombination; 1996 cloned sheep Dolly; 2003 human genome.
  • IT revolution line: Turing machine, 1947 transistor, Internet, cyberspace culture.
  • Nanotech: 1959 Feynman lecture; 1984 fullerenes; atom-level manipulation.
  • Television lineage: 1895 Marconi wireless → 1926 Takayanagi electronic image.
Footprints of 20th-Century S&T (Table 1-2-2)
  • Chronological list 1901–2003 of discoveries, inventions, Nobel prizes & socio-political events (Russo-Japanese war, World Wars, oil shock, environmental laws, space exploration, Internet boom, cloning legislation, etc.).
Science as Pillar of Modern Civilization
  • Western-European origin; now global (“science knows no borders”).
  • Growth in Nobel laureates from Asia, Africa, Oceania (Fig. 1-2-3, Table 1-2-4).
  • Need to balance universal science with local cultures.
Public & Policy Recognition
  • 70 % of Japanese (2004 poll) agree “scientific research is essential because it brings new knowledge”.

Promotion of Basic Research

  • Needed for: cultural advancement, future economy, human-resource cultivation.
  • Natural sciences alone are insufficient; must coordinate with humanities & social sciences.
1.2.1.2 From Knowledge to Prosperity (Practical Value)
  • Nobel discoveries often → products after 10–20 years (MRI, transistor, CT, monoclonal antibodies, conductive polymers, asymmetric synthesis, etc.; Table 1-2-6).
  • Rising “science linkage” (citations per U.S. patent) shows shorter path from paper → product (Fig. 1-2-7).
  • Japan’s post-war growth: import → adapt → manufacture. 21st-century need: front-runner knowledge creation.
  • 70 % public agree S&T needed to boost international competitiveness (Fig. 1-2-8).
Human-Resource & System Issues
  • Necessity of creative researchers; creativity learned by experimentation.
  • Industry–academia–government cooperation still weaker in Japan than US/UK; must improve IP protection, tech transfer.
  • Traditional craftsmanship (kumihimo, sword steel micro-structure) is valuable; projects re-evaluate Edo-period tech (Column 2 “Making Things in Edo”).

1.2.2 New Policy Developments

Themes
  1. Safety & Security
  2. Revival of Local Areas
  3. Intra-sector (cross-disciplinary) efforts
1.2.2.1 Safety & Security
  • Rising threats: terrorism (2001 9/11, 2004 Madrid), crime (post-war record of 2.85 M cases 2002; Fig. 1-2-9), natural disasters (1995 Hanshin-Awaji > 6 000 deaths), emerging diseases (SARS, H5N1 bird flu; Fig. 1-2-10/11).
  • Public anxiety: ~70 % feel personal risk has increased (Fig. 1-2-12); 86 % say Japan less safe than 10 years ago (WEF poll Fig. 1-2-13).
  • 70 % agree high S&T standards needed for security (Fig. 1-2-14).
Policy & R&D Actions
  • Japanese Special Coordination Funds “Important Issue Resolution Research” – 8 themes FY 2004 (e.g. infectious diseases, info security).
  • Need diverse research base to respond to unknown risks; create knowledge networks.
  • US model: DHS (2003) + HSARPA patterned on DARPA.
Human‐Resource Shortage Example
  • Broadband households 2004: DSL 29.5 %, Cable 11 %, FTTH 6.3 % (Fig. 1-2-15).
  • Shortfall of 4.2×1054.2\times10^5 IT technologists incl. 1.2×1051.2\times10^5 security experts (Fig. 1-2-16).
  • National projects (Table 1-2-17) – universities’ information-security programs; Tokyo RCAST “Safety & Security Science” courses (Column 3).
Societal & Legal Frameworks
  • Electronic Signatures Law (2001) enables e-contracts (Fig. 1-2-18).
  • Unauthorized Access Law (2000) – arrests rising (Fig. 1-2-19).
  • Virus incidents soared post-1999; basic PC hygiene steps (Table 1-2-21).
  • Risk communication, education manuals, and international cooperation (Japan–US workshop Column 4).
1.2.2.2 Revival of Local Areas via S&T
  • Challenges: depopulation, aging, overseas industry shift.
  • National HQ for Local Revival (2003): philosophy “bottom-up ideas, central support.”
  • Science & Technology Basic Law Article 4: prefectures must craft S&T policies.
  • Cluster strategies (Fig. 1-2-22):
    • Intellectual Cluster Program (ICP) – R&D core around universities; e.g. Ueda nanocarbon smart devices; Toyama/Takaoka immuno-biotech (Column 5).
    • Industrial Cluster Program (IndCP) – wide-area networks linking industry, academia, government.
  • Success factors (Table 1-2-23): proximity, niche specialization, world-class R&D, venture vitality, support infra, visionary leaders, global reach.
  • International analogs (Column 6): Dortmund tech park; Pittsburgh post-steel IT/biotech.
  • University social-contribution model – Gunma Univ. example (Fig. 1-2-24): multicultural support, car-society health studies, local medical network.
1.2.2.3 Intra-Sector Efforts (Cross-disciplinarity)
  • Complex global issues demand integration of natural sciences + humanities/social sciences.
  • 60 % researchers are interested in cross-sector research (Fig. 1-2-25); 79 % cite social‐issue relevance (Fig. 1-2-26).
Intellectual Property Leadership
  • 2003 Basic Law on IP; IP Strategy HQ; pending IP High Court.
“Social Technologies” Concept
  • Defined (2000 report) as integrating multi-domain knowledge to build new social systems.
  • JST programs (Table 1-2-27): safety knowledge systems, risk communication tech, recycling society, brain science & education interface.
Brain Science & Education
  • OECD project; US NIBIB; Japanese MEXT study; goals: lifelong learning framework, mental-health issues.
Culture, Arts & Technology
  • 2001 Basic Law for Promotion of Culture & Arts; market for digital content >¥2 T.
  • 2004 ST Council report: promote tech for preservation, VR display, media arts; nanostructure analysis of Imari ware & Edo komon geometry (Column 7).
Management of Technology (MOT) Human Resources
  • Need experts with dual literacy (tech + management + IP).
  • Surveys show shortages in both quality & quantity of MOT, evaluators, tech-transfer staff (Fig. 1-2-30).

1.2.3 Application of New Technologies & ELSI

Dual Impact of S&T
  • Comfort & economic growth vs. environmental harm, social issues.
  • Declining favorable perception of S&T direction (Fig. 1-2-31) yet 73 % still feel S&T makes life healthier & easier (Fig. 1-2-32).
Ethical, Legal & Social Implications (ELSI)
  • Concept: analyze ethics, law, societal effects simultaneously with tech advance.
  • International models: US HGP set aside 3–5 % budget for ELSI; 2003 US Nanotech Act mandates ethics research; EU “Science & Society” FP6.
Bioethics Case Studies (Table 1-2-33)
  1. Cloning: Dolly (1996) → Japan 2000 Human Cloning Regulation Law; UN treaty talks.
  2. Human ES cells: require embryo destruction → 2001 Guidelines for Establishment & Use.
  3. Human genome/gene analysis: tailor-made medicine & privacy risks → 2001 Ethical Guidelines.
  4. Gene-recombination: biodiversity concerns → 2003 Cartagena-based Law.
Researcher Attitudes to ELSI
  • 86 % think ELSI research is important (Fig. 1-2-34).
  • Desired actions: reform researcher awareness 53 %, strengthen humanities–science linkage 29 %, foster ELSI experts 27 % (Fig. 1-2-35).

1.2.4 Japan’s International Contributions

Global Leadership
  • Japan = world GDP No. 2; striving for Advanced S&T-Oriented Nation.
  • Foreign public sees S&T as main arena for Japan’s contribution (Fig. 1-2-37).
  • Risk of widening “Digital Divide”; emphasis on S&T for sustainable development (Evian 2003 S&T G8 Action Plan).
  • Earth Observation Summit II Tokyo 2004 → 10-year GEOSS framework.
  • Humanitarian tech: mine-detection projects by JST.
  • “Science & Technology in Society (STS) Forum” launched 2004 to debate global issues.
Regional (Asia) Focus
  • Japan’s path (non-Western culture, rapid modernization) offers model for other Asian nations.
  • ASEAN poll: high interest in Japanese S&T (Figure 1-2-38).
  • Science Council of Asia (since 2001) – 10 countries, Table 1-2-39 lists bodies; annual meetings promote regional cooperation.
  • Needed actions: invite Asian young researchers to Japan, dispatch Japanese experts, build Asian research network, share disaster-prevention & disease-control technology.

Key Numerical / Statistical References (selection)

  • Crime incidents 2002 ≈ 2.85 million2.85\,\text{million}.
  • Broadband households 2004: DSL 11.2 M11.2\,\text{M} subscribers, potential 38 M38\,\text{M}.
  • IT security personnel shortfall ≈1.2×105\approx 1.2\times10^5.
  • SARS GDP loss: Hong Kong 4 % (6.6 B USD6.6\,\text{B USD}); China 0.5 %.
  • Nobel trend: Asia winners in natural sciences rose 9.8× (post-1946 vs pre-1945).

Ethical & Practical Take-aways

  • Basic research is society’s “water reservoir” – must be continuously replenished.
  • S&T progress changes values; policy must anticipate and guide.
  • Safety/security & local revitalization are current policy frontiers needing cross-disciplinary R&D.
  • ELSI frameworks convert latent public anxiety into constructive dialogue, preserving academic freedom while ensuring social trust.
  • Japan’s dual role: domestic problem-solver (aging, disasters) and international partner/leader, especially within Asia.