Clin Eval 45（2）2017

論説

軍民両用（デュアルユース）研究とは何か─ 科学者の使命と責任について＊1

福島雅典＊ 2

公益財団法人 先端医療振興財団 臨床研究情報センター

A Letter to Scientists ─ Deep Concerns about Dual-Use Research
Masanori Fukushima
Translational Research Informatics Center, Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation

Abstract
You should know that, right now, not only scientists but every citizen of Japan faces some very serious
questions: What is science? What is the role of a scientist? What is the role of a university? That right now,
humanity is in the midst of an unprecedented scientific and technological revolution. Kurzweil predictedthat we will reach Singularity, a transcendent point for humanity, in 2045. However, the day when machines
surpass humans, the day when humans surpass humans, may come even faster. The internet revolution
has spread all over the globe, stupefying the thinkers and philosophers alike. Power politics is raising its
head in the world order. Seventy-one years after World War II, most of those who survived the war aregone, and even the memories of war are fading.
You should know that, before we noticed what was happening, the Act on the Protection of Specially
Designated Secrets came into force, the ban on arms exports was lifted, and finally, Legislation for Peaceand Security was forced through, allowing Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense, which isprohibited by the Constitution. Currently, the government is pushing for anti-conspiracy legislation closely
resembling the pre-war Public Security Preservation Law. Quite literally, “Japan is Back.” The government
also announced the creation of a special committee on national security, science and technology, aiming topromote military and civilian dual-use research. This is a demon returning, brandishing wads of money andpushing for defensive armament – in other words, military expansion – under the name of “dual-use.” Open
your eyes and see! Isnʼt this mobilization of respectable universities? In the past, the Empire of Japan used
the pretext of protecting Manchuriaʼs interests to plunge into the Second Sino-Japanese War and then thePacific War, claiming this was “defense.” Faced with the pressing need to reinforce the troops, in the end
the military government resorted to student mobilization and even went as far as using suicide attack
units. Doesnʼt it seem that history is repeating itself, that what Japan is doing today exactly mirrors its war
preparations of the past?

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本論は，2017 年 2 月 4 日 日本学術会議主催学術フォーラム「安全保障と学術の関係：日本学術会議の立場」における講演記録を取り纏めた『学術の動向』（日本学術会議編集協力）2017 年 5 月号掲載版（38 〜 47 頁）より同誌の許可を得て転載した．一部形式的な修正を加えている．英文抄録は，同講演録に基づく『科学』誌 2017 年第 87 巻第 4 号
巻頭エッセイ「科学者に与ふるの文 軍民両用研究を憂ふ」の英訳である．
日本学術会議連携会員，京都大学名誉教授（Associate Member, Science Council of Japan; Professor Emeritus,Kyoto University）− 369 −

臨 床 評 価 45 巻 2 号

2017

You should know that in the time of war, scientists of all the countries involved made irreparable
mistakes and committed crimes. Doctors from Kyushu Imperial University vivisected American prisonersof war, not to mention the deeds of Shiro Ishii, an army surgeon and Kyoto Imperial University graduate,
who commanded Unit 731 in China. Albert Einstein advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt to speed up
the development of the atomic bomb in order to get ahead of Nazi Germany. The Manhattan Project waslaunched, atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the world changed. Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Confucius says, “To err and not change oneʼs ways is to err
indeed.” Some say scientists must meet the demands of society. That is definitely not so! Scientists
contemplate reality and commit to humanityʼs future happiness. Isnʼt this the true mission of a scientist?
Scientists must pursue the highest ideals of their times.
You should know about Einsteinʼs anguish in his later life. Oppenheimerʼs last years. The essence ofthe Russell–Einstein Manifesto. It says, “Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.” “We urge them[the Governments of the world], consequently, to find peaceful means for the settlement of all matters ofdispute between them.”
In February 1948, the World Federation of Scientific Workers adopted the Charter for ScientificWorkers. “To study the underlying causes of war. To aid agencies seeking to prevent war and to build stablebases for peace.” These are the responsibilities of a scientist, his or her responsibilities as a human being
to the world. Today, in the true Japanese spirit, we must reaffirm our resolutions as scientists and revisit
the statements of the Science Council of Japan. “Do not perform scientific research for military purposes.”“Never engage in scientific research for the purposes of war.”

Key words
Dual-Use Research, Russell-Einstein Manifest, The Science Council of Japan, Mission and Responsibilityof Scientist, Charter for Scientific Workers
Rinsho Hyoka（Clinical Evaluation）．2017；45：369−81.

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