Science and Technology

On December 14, Prof. MATSUMOTO Yoichiro, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs participated in the session on Beyond Borders: Science & Technology Cooperation in the Quad, at the Global Technology Summit held online and discussed with science and technology advisors representing the US, Australia and India.

Prof. MATSUMOTO said that it was very important to build a network of scientists representing the Quad countries who can collaborate not only on technology cooperation to address geopolitical and security issues, but also on ways and innovations to deal with global issues such as climate change.

Prof MATSUMOTO mentioned Japan's commitment to promoting measures to combat climate change expressed by Prime Minister Kishida during the COP26 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and introduced Japan’s efforts toward the 2050 carbon-neutral goal, and its efforts to support the de-carbonization transition mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.

Furthermore, Prof. MATSUMOTO stated it was now recognized that commercial technologies, including emerging technologies such as 5G, IoT, AI, and quantum technologies, did bring economic benefits, while at the same time they can affect civil liberties, human rights, and even national security. He also said that it was becoming increasingly important to protect and promote high-level principles such as human-centered values, inclusiveness, and accountability so that these technologies can contribute to the sound development of a free democratic society. He expressed that it was essential to actively engage in international cooperation from this perspective by collaborating with the Quad member states and other like-minded countries.