The 11th Science and Technology Ministers’ Roundtable
October 5, 2014
Minister Yamaguchi, serving as chairperson of the roundtabl
Malaysian Representative
South African Representative
Denmark Representative
Discussion and Opinion Exchange
Commemorative Photograph
Minister Yamaguchi with Yaakov Peri,
Israeli Minister of Science, Technology, and Space
With Naledi Pandor,
South African Minister of Science and Technology
With Dr. Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart,
Scientific Advisor of the Council of State of Cuba
On October 5, Minister Shunichi Yamaguchi, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, served as the chair of the 11th Science and Technology Ministers’ Roundtable held in Kyoto. The theme of this year’s roundtable was promoting openness and transparency in science, technology, and innovation policies. The round table was attended by S&T ministers and science advisors from 24 countries, including Japan.
The roundtable began with a report from Japan about global trends and initiatives in context of the theme of the gathering. This presentation was followed by individual reports from Malaysia, South Africa, and Denmark as countries leading the discussion.
After these reports, each representative was formally introduced to present their country’s initiatives. While the gathering noted advances in openness with respect to science and technology, there was also an awareness of differing opinions as to the meaning of “openness.” To avoid misconceptions and promote international cooperation, the representatives shared the general understanding for a need to clearly define openness in this respect. In addition, each country discussed their initiatives to promote openness in science and technology, while some pointed out that, to ensure greater openness, there is a need for a structural framework and quality assurance related to the information disclosed.
Minister Yamaguchi met individually with the several attendees on the occasion of the Ministers’ Roundtable:
- Yaakov Peri, Israel Minister of Science, Technology, and Space
- Naledi Pandor, South Africa Minister of Science and Technology
- Dr. Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, Scientific Advisor of the Council of State of Cuba
