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IAC and Science Council of Japan host nuclear energy conference

On 10 October 2012 the InterAcademy Council and Science Council of Japan will host IAC/SCJ International Conference on the Impact of the Nuclear Plant Accident.

The InterAcademy Council (IAC), a multinational organization of the world's science academies and Science Council of Japan (SCJ), a national science academy representing 840,000 scientists and researchers in Japan and a member of IAC, will jointly host a special international conference in Tokyo with presidents, executives and prominent experts of key academic organizations domestic and worldwide to discuss the topics as follows:

  • What impacts have been brought by the nuclear plant accidents;
  • What we can learn from severe accidents of nuclear power plants;
  • What measures shall be taken on occasions of severe accidents.

Founded in 2000, the IAC was created to mobilize top scientists and engineers around the world to provide evidence-based advice to international bodies such as the United Nations and World Bank -- including preparing expert, peer-reviewed studies upon request. The IAC Board is composed of the presidents of 15 academies of science and equivalent organizations -- representing Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus the African Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) -- and representatives of IAP – the global network of science academies, the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), and the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP) of medical academies. The IAC Secretariat is hosted by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam. 

The IAC is currently led by two co-chairs, Robbert Dijkgraaf, past-president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Lu Yongxiang, past-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with John Campbell, Executive Director of its secretariat. 

Mobilizing the world's best science to advice decision-makers on issues of global concern, IAC has been focusing on the following subjects:

  • Expert Advice
  • Sharing Knowledge
  • Global Experience
  • Independent Judgment
  • Diversified Founding

With well recognized procedures and expertise, IAC has been issuing its reports, statements, and publications, such as:

  • Climate Change Assessments, Review of the Processes & Procedures of the IPCC (Report)
  • Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future (Report)

Science Council of Japan (SCJ) was established in January 1949 as a “Special Body” under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister, having been operated independently of the government, for the purpose of promoting and enhancing the field of science, and having science, reflected in and permeated into administration, industry and people’s lives. It represents Japan’s scientists both domestically and internationally with the firm belief that science is the foundation upon which a civilized nation is built.

Its two functions are:

  • To deliberate on important issues concerning science and to help solve such issues
  • To coordinate scientific studies and to achieve higher efficiency therein

With a focus on the following four activities, the SCJ is extremely active in its deliberations, helping to improve and develop science in Japan, and strengthening the inseparable alliance with the Council for Science and Technology Policy, which is the command center for Japan’s science and technology policies.

(1) Recommendations to the government and public
(2) International activities
(3) Promotion of scientific literacy
(4) Establishment of networks among scientists

SCJ is currently led by Takashi Onishi, President and three Vice-Presidents, Masato Takeichi (in charge of Organizational Management), Yoshiaki Kobayashi (Contacts with Government and Society), and Fumiko Kasuga (International Activities), who assumed their offices in October, 2011, for the 22nd Term of SCJ. 

Succeeded from its 21st Term, when a series of emergency recommendations for many aspects relating science & technology were published, to guide the people and regions suffered from the unprecedented complex disaster, the 22nd Term of SCJ started with the significant and critical issues relating to the Great East Japan Earthquake. By coordinating the experts of all scientific and technological aspects, SCJ has been deliberating and issuing the reports and recommendations as for the Great East Japan Earthquake.

It was the IAC Board Meeting held in Halle, Germany, in March this year, where the idea that IAC and SCJ collaboratively organize an international conference event was originally proposed by the initiative of the executives of InterAcademy Council (IAC), and Science Council of Japan (SCJ), in order for scientists and experts worldwide to collaboratively deliberate on one of the critical global issues; that is, the nuclear plant accident brought after the Great East Japan Earthquake, making the use of the opportunity of the STS Forum to be held in October in Kyoto, where many representatives, scientists and experts from the relevant organization overseas meet.

This event is a conference to be held on 10th October, 2012 at the facility of SCJ in Tokyo, where two sessions are provided. During the former half of the conference, representatives from relevant organizations and IAC members to give speeches: Yuan Tseh Lee, President of International Council for Science (ICSU), Kiyoshi Kurokawa, past-President of Science Council of Japan, others from the IAC member countries, such as Germany, China, and France.

The latter half of the conference provides short speeches by the representatives from the IAC member countries, France, India, South Africa, UK, and US, with a special guest from National Academy of Sciences of Korea, about the current energy policies after “Fukushima” of their own countries, followed by open discussions on the relevant topics. Throughout the conference, Robbert H. Dijkgraaf, a Co-Chair, and John P. Campbell, Executive Director of IAC, as well as Takashi Onishi, Masato Takeichi, Yoshiaki Kobayashi, and Fumiko Kasuga, will collaboratively take roles of session chairs to facilitate the conference and provide some remarks.

Although it is regrettable that we cannot enjoy the presence of Lu Yongxiang, Co-Chair of IAC (China) and some IAC members, we are able to welcome honorable delegates as prominent experts by the generous support from our colleagues.

We are sure that this special event will be a forum for international information exchanges for the global concern; the Nuclear Plant Accident in Fukushima.

After this event, IAC and SCJ will jointly announce the summary, conclusions, and other relevant information through their websites.

 

For the detailed Agenda, Speakers and other Information, please see the Programme attached.

For the information about InterAcademy Council, please visit its webpage: http://www.interacademycouncil.net/

For the information about Science Council of Japan, please visit its webpage: