Suga’s Rejection of Nominees Comes under Increased Criticism

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)--Scholars and artists in Japan are increasingly protesting against Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s recent rejection of six nominees to the Science Council of Japan.

A campaign condemning Suga’s move while referring to the country’s wartime suppression of free speech has collected some 140,000 signatures.

Rejecting certain researchers will destroy the whole concept of the council, the campaign said, demanding Suga retract the decision.

“We should not repeat mistakes,” said Takahisa Furukawa, professor of modern Japanese history at Nihon University who is one of the organizers of the campaign.

Suga’s rejection of the nominees is political intervention in the academic field, Furukawa said. “Once allowed, it will be done again,” he said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]