3 Science and Technology Diplomacy

Science and technology constitute the foundational elements for peace and prosperity that support socioeconomic development, and play a vital role in ensuring safety and security. By harnessing its own advanced science and technology, Japan promotes Science and Technology Diplomacy, thereby contributing to the development of science and technology at home and abroad, the promotion of relations with other countries, the peace and stability of the international community, and the resolution of global challenges. As part of science and technology diplomacy efforts, Japan places emphasis on initiatives implemented through the activities of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In September 2015, MOFA established the post of Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and appointed KISHI Teruo, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, as the first Science and Technology Advisor. Following the end of his term, Prof. Kishi was replaced by MATSUMOTO Yoichiro, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo as the new advisor in April 2020. Moreover, KANO Mitsunobu, Professor of Okayama University, has assumed the post as the first Science and Technology Co-Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs to support the work of the Science and Technology Advisor in April 2019. In April 2022, KOTANI Motoko, Executive Vice President of Tohoku University, was appointed as the Science and Technology Co-Advisor for the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Prof. Matsumoto and Dr. Kotani support the activities of the Foreign Minister from the perspective of science and technology, and provide advice on the utilization of science, technology and innovation in the planning and coordination of various foreign policies to the Minister and relevant divisions.

Additionally, the Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Network has been established under the supervision of the Science and Technology Advisor, aiming to make further contributions in the process of planning and formulating various diplomatic policies. As part of this network, “The Advisory Board for Promoting Science & Technology Diplomacy,” consisting of 22 experts from related fields, with Prof. Matsumoto as the chair and Dr. Kotani as the vice-chair, hold meetings regularly to discuss various topics aimed at enhancing the structure and function of science and technology diplomacy. In 2024, the 7th Advisory Board Meeting was held in April. Furthermore, at the 3rd Symposium on Science and Technology Diplomacy co-hosted by MOFA and the Japan Science and Technology Agency in March, Prof. Matsumoto gave a keynote speech on future science and technology diplomacy in light of the current international situation.

Foreign Minister Kamikawa attending the 7th Meeting of the Advisory Board for Promoting Science and Technology Diplomacy (April 22, Tokyo)

Prof. Matsumoto and Dr. Kotani are working to build and strengthen a network of science and technology advisors from various governments by taking advantage of opportunities such as meetings of the Foreign Ministry Science & Technology Advisors Network (FMSTAN), which brings together science and technology advisors from the foreign ministries of various countries. In May, the two advisors attended the FMSTAN meeting and the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) international conference in Rwanda, where they exchanged views with science and technology advisors from various countries on the nature of scientific advice. In addition, Prof. Matsumoto visited San Francisco in the U.S. in January, Belgium in May, and Europe (London in the UK, Geneva in Switzerland, Strasbourg in France, and Prague in the Czech Republic) in October, while Dr. Kotani visited Fiji in March, as well as Sweden and Germany in October, introducing Japan's science and technology diplomacy efforts at symposiums and meetings with local science and technology-related organizations, and exchanging views on science and technology cooperation and other issues with related parties.

Moreover, Prof. Matsumoto regularly hosts science and technology diplomacy seminars by inviting experts in various fields to raise the level of knowledge on science and technology within MOFA.

In terms of science and technology cooperation with other countries, Japan has concluded 33 bilateral science and technology cooperation agreements with 47 countries and the EU.⁽¹⁹⁾ Based on these agreements, it organizes regular Joint Committee meetings with these countries to conduct intergovernmental dialogue. In 2024, Japan held Joint Committee meetings with Norway, Finland, Canada, the U.S., and South Africa, where the current status and future direction of cooperation in various fields were discussed with the attendance of relevant ministries and agencies.

With regard to multilateral cooperation, as a member of the Board of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), which was established to support research for peaceful purposes conducted by researchers on weapons of mass destruction from the former Soviet Union, and now involved in a wide range of research and development such as chemistry, biology, radioactive materials and nuclear power, Japan works to provide support mainly to countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus region. Japan also participates in ITER project to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy.

• (19) Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan each inherited the Japan-Russia Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement on different dates. In 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia respectively took over the Japan-Czechoslovakia Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia (the name of the country at that time), Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro inherited the Japan-Yugoslavia Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement on different dates.