Press Releases
The 3rd Meeting of the Advisory Board for Promoting Science and Technology Diplomacy
July 1, 2021



On July 1st, the 3rd Meeting of the Advisory Board for Promoting Science and Technology Diplomacy was held online, with the participation of Mr. WASHIO Eiichiro, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prof. MATSUMOTO Yoichiro, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Prof. KANO Mitsunobu, Science and Technology Co-Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.
- At the beginning, Mr. WASHIO pointed out that Science and Technology Diplomacy are becoming increasingly important in the current international situation, referring to the G7 Summit Meeting. Moreover, he mentioned that the Ministry will further promote Science and Technology Diplomacy by gathering the efforts from all stakeholders in Japan, based on the Integrated Innovation Strategy 2021, and asked for the continued cooperation by the Board members.
- Along with the four themes: 1) Interlinkages between STI and security; 2) Planetary health: STI for food system transformation; 3) International collaboration in AI and the digital field; and 4) Strengthening the STI foundation in Japan to support Science and Technology Diplomacy; the Advisory Board members had an active discussion on the challenges and future directions to pursue. In particular, regarding the theme 2), the Board deepened the discussion and approved the report with recommendations, while leaving the final compilation of the comments to Prof. Matsumoto and Prof. Kano, to be submitted to the Foreign Minister for several diplomatic occasions such as the UN Food Systems Summit scheduled in September and Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021 to be held in December. Mr. WASHIO acknowledged the report and expressed his appreciation for continuous collaboration among the Board members and relevant agencies.
- Prof. MATSUMOTO and Prof. KANO reported their recent activities, such as presenting Japan’s Science and Technology Diplomacy and the latest trends in STI to the foreign youth and diplomats in Tokyo. Also, they shared with the Advisory Board the discussions at the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Annual Meeting and the recent activities among the members of the FMSTAN (Foreign Ministries Science and Technology Advisors Network). The Advisory Board is expected to advise and exchange opinions with STI experts and related agencies at the various international meetings and diplomatic occasions.