On Japan's Ways of Science Communication

Improving public awareness of science and technology continues to be a key issue in this modern, complex society. The issue will remain unsolved unless we consider more than just making easy‑to‑understand information accessible to anyone; it is equally important to enhance  their interest and let them aware of their own concerns so they will be motivated to get involved in decision‑making on the societal side of science and engineering matters. Japan has been offering communication opportunities to its citizens. The National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) was initiated by the government in 1960 as perhaps one of the earliest attempts in the world. Younger generations enjoy participating in Youngsters' Science Festivals, where hands‑on activities get the youths more familiarized with otherwise hard‑to‑approach scientific subjects. These opportunities have been effective to let people feel that science is fun, but not enough to raise their awareness of science policy. It took us until the end of the 20th century to introduce the new concept of science communication, in which science specialists and non‑specialists communicate each other with consideration of their backgrounds and contexts. Beginning in 2005, several universities and  science museums opened training courses for prospective science  communicators. Science Agora, the biggest event for science communication in Japan, keeps gathering a broad spectrum from experts to non‑experts. We noticed that science communication could be promoted effectively by a top‑down approach in some occasions. For example, more than twenty science caf?s were intensively held at various locations in Japan during the NSTW 2006; afterwards it seems the culture spread throughout the country, resulting in the fact that we now have more than 500 caf’s nationwide in 2009. It exemplifies that such "seeding" could catalyze the popularization process in Japan's way. In the presentation we will discuss our ideas and some actual trials to illustrate Japan's ways of science communication, and try to identify their potential contribution to the establishment of global networks with diverse views therein.