任命拒否「活動に支障」　学術会議幹部、井上担当相に直訴

　日本学術会議を所管する井上信治科学技術担当相は２９日、東京都港区の同会議事務局を訪れ、梶田隆章会長ら幹部と意見交換した。出席した大学教授の担当部長３人は菅義偉首相による任命拒否で「活動に支障を来している」と訴え、是正を求めた。
　会員候補６人の任命が拒否された人文社会科学分野の担当部長を務める橋本伸也・関西学院大教授は「定数７０人のうち約１割欠けている状況。健全な活動のための条件が損なわれている」と強調。是正されない場合、「政府との信頼関係が損なわれ、役割を果たすことが困難にならないか危惧している」と述べた。
　理工学分野担当の吉村忍・東京大副学長は、任命を拒否された松宮孝明・立命館大教授が、自動運転をめぐる法的課題を検討する上で大きな役割を果たしてきたと指摘。「こういう方が任命されないと、活動に大きな影響が出る」と訴えた。（2020/10/29-19:07）

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's recent rejection of some nominees to the Science Council of Japan is impeding the activities of the government-linked body, senior SCJ officials said Thursday.
   The officials, including SCJ President Takaaki Kajita, held a meeting with science and technology policy minister Shinji Inoue, who is in charge of supervising the organization.
   Kwansei Gakuin University professor Nobuya Hashimoto, who heads the SCJ's humanities and social sciences section, said at the meeting that the division is now seeing a lack of about 10 pct of its 70 members as a result of Suga's rejection of the appointment of the nominees.
   "Conditions for the section to conduct proper activities have been undermined," he said. Hashimoto also said, "I'm worried that the relationship of trust between the government and the SCJ could be damaged and it could become difficult for the council to perform its mission" if the situation is left unattended.
   Shinobu Yoshimura, vice president of the University of Tokyo, who is in charge of the SCJ section for physical sciences and engineering, said that Ritsumeikan University professor Takaaki Matsumiya, one of the rejected nominees, has been playing a major role in studying legal issues related to autonomous driving.