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Japan¥“s Nobel ploy riles Swedes
Offer of all-expenses paid trip to prizeofficials outrages Scandinavians
Despite such criticisms, the country has followed up this pledge energetically. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science set up an ¥“information office¥” at Stockholm¥“s Karolinska Institute, Sweden¥“s medical university.
Its function seems a blatant attempt to lobby Nobel medical committee members about the
In a world of the quiet academic, such directness is unprecedented. But the Japanese have followed up their information office with an attempt to pay for a group of Nobel laureates and Nobel Foundation staff to come to Japan to celebrate the prizes¥” centenary.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/dec/16/japan.internationaleducationnews
It was supposed to be an innocuous offer to aid scientific co-operation between two countries. But an attempt to get Sweden¥“s Nobel Foundation officials to take an all-expenses trip to Japan has outraged Scandinavian scientific sensibilities, and threatens to trigger a breakdown between the two nations.
¥“The invitations pose an ethical problem,¥” Nobel committee member Anders Barany told Nature last week. ¥“There is such an outspoken Japanese policy to acquire Nobel prizes.¥”
The row also underlines how agitated the Japanese have become about their international image as unoriginal imitators, a failing that goes deep into the country¥“s troubled psyche.
A few months ago this insecurity led Japan¥“s government to make an extraordinary promise: its scientists would win a startling 30 Nobel prizes over the next 50 years. Given that the nation has managed only nine in 100 years, this promise will require its boffins to increase their Nobel output by more than 500 per cent, an unprecedented improvement.
¥“Could the government of any other country get away with making such ridiculous promises?¥” asked one unhappy Tokyo researcher.
Despite such criticisms, the country has followed up this pledge energetically. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science set up an ¥“information office¥” at Stockholm¥“s Karolinska Institute, Sweden¥“s medical university. Its function seems a blatant attempt to lobby Nobel medical committee members about the merits of Japanese researchers.
In a world of the quiet academic, such directness is unprecedented. But the Japanese have followed up their information office with an attempt to pay for a group of Nobel laureates and Nobel Foundation staff to come to Japan to celebrate the prizes¥” centenary.
The Japanese say they are just being hospitable. It is customary to cover visiting scientists¥” expenses, they claim. It is not a view shared by Barany. The Nobel Foundation has enough money to pick up the bill for any visit, he told Nature.
Moreover, the bid is also controversial within Japan. There the government¥“s Nobel policy has also stirred up intense feelings, although few scientists deny that the nation has a pitiable prize record for one of the world¥“s richest and most technologically proficient nations.
In 100 years, Japan has picked up only six Nobel prizes in the main science topics of physics, chemistry and physiology. (Ironically, one of these was awarded this year to the chemist Ryoji Noyori.) By contrast, Britain has won 70 in these fields, even though its population is less than half that of Japan.
For a country whose electronics, cars and computers dominate world markets, such a level of scientific excellence is puny and worrying.
But simply going round throwing money on the world promotion of Japanese scientists will not solve the problem, say critics. It is not that the rest of the world is just failing to understand Japanese greatness. The real problem lies with the nation¥“s educational failings. The country lacks creativity because its educational system relies far too heavily on rote learning and conformity.
In addition, the entire Japanese university system is top-heavy and paternalistic. Its academic ¥“koza¥” system gives professors immense power to dictate what their younger researchers do. Instead of pursuing their own original ideas, these young scientists have to follow up the moribund ideas of ageing bosses.
As one of Japan¥“s few Nobel prize winners - Hideki Shirakawa, of the University of Tsukaba - says, younger scientists have little alternative ¥“unless they go abroad¥”. Until that problem is tackled, no amount of promotion will buy the nation what it now openly craves: tangible scientific credibility.
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스웨덴 카롤린스카 연구소가 있는 대학에 정보 사무실을 개설해
노벨 수상자와 staff 에게 돈을 지불하며 로비하고 있었다.
Japan"s Nobel ploy riles Swedes
Offer of all-expenses paid trip to prize officials outrages Scandinavians
Despite such criticisms, the country has followed up this pledge energetically. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science set up an "information office" at Stockholm"s Karolinska Institute, Sweden"s medical university.
Its function seems a blatant attempt to lobby Nobel medical committee members about the merits of Japanese researchers.
In a world of the quiet academic, such directness is unprecedented. But the Japanese have followed up their information office with an attempt to pay for a group of Nobel laureates and Nobel Foundation staff to come to Japan to celebrate the prizes" centenary.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/dec/16/japan.internationaleducationnews
It was supposed to be an innocuous offer to aid scientific co-operation between two countries. But an attempt to get Sweden"s Nobel Foundation officials to take an all-expenses trip to Japan has outraged Scandinavian scientific sensibilities, and threatens to trigger a breakdown between the two nations.
"The invitations pose an ethical problem," Nobel committee member Anders Barany told Nature last week. "There is such an outspoken Japanese policy to acquire Nobel prizes."
The row also underlines how agitated the Japanese have become about their international image as unoriginal imitators, a failing that goes deep into the country"s troubled psyche.
A few months ago this insecurity led Japan"s government to make an extraordinary promise: its scientists would win a startling 30 Nobel prizes over the next 50 years. Given that the nation has managed only nine in 100 years, this promise will require its boffins to increase their Nobel output by more than 500 per cent, an unprecedented improvement.
"Could the government of any other country get away with making such ridiculous promises?" asked one unhappy Tokyo researcher.
Despite such criticisms, the country has followed up this pledge energetically. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science set up an "information office" at Stockholm"s Karolinska Institute, Sweden"s medical university. Its function seems a blatant attempt to lobby Nobel medical committee members about the merits of Japanese researchers.
In a world of the quiet academic, such directness is unprecedented. But the Japanese have followed up their information office with an attempt to pay for a group of Nobel laureates and Nobel Foundation staff to come to Japan to celebrate the prizes" centenary.
The Japanese say they are just being hospitable. It is customary to cover visiting scientists" expenses, they claim. It is not a view shared by Barany. The Nobel Foundation has enough money to pick up the bill for any visit, he told Nature.
Moreover, the bid is also controversial within Japan. There the government"s Nobel policy has also stirred up intense feelings, although few scientists deny that the nation has a pitiable prize record for one of the world"s richest and most technologically proficient nations.
In 100 years, Japan has picked up only six Nobel prizes in the main science topics of physics, chemistry and physiology. (Ironically, one of these was awarded this year to the chemist Ryoji Noyori.) By contrast, Britain has won 70 in these fields, even though its population is less than half that of Japan.
For a country whose electronics, cars and computers dominate world markets, such a level of scientific excellence is puny and worrying.
But simply going round throwing money on the world promotion of Japanese scientists will not solve the problem, say critics. It is not that the rest of the world is just failing to understand Japanese greatness. The real problem lies with the nation"s educational failings. The country lacks creativity because its educational system relies far too heavily on rote learning and conformity.
In addition, the entire Japanese university system is top-heavy and paternalistic. Its academic "koza" system gives professors immense power to dictate what their younger researchers do. Instead of pursuing their own original ideas, these young scientists have to follow up the moribund ideas of ageing bosses.
As one of Japan"s few Nobel prize winners - Hideki Shirakawa, of the University of Tsukaba - says, younger scientists have little alternative "unless they go abroad". Until that problem is tackled, no amount of promotion will buy the nation what it now openly craves: tangible scientific credibility.