Interview with Yutaka Hishiyama: The future of life sciences in Japan — Should aim for a different path from Europe and America

The author of Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Surrounding Life Sciences: Does Medical and Scientific Progress Bring Happiness?, Yutaka Hishiyama, graduated from the School of Integrated Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo and joined the Science and Technology Agency (Merged with MEXT in 2001) in 1985. Until his retirement from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2021, he held various positions, including Director of the Office for Bioethics and Biosafety, Director of the Life Sciences Division, and Director-General of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau. He was deeply involved in efforts to advance life sciences research, including the establishment of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and participation in AMED's management. The Science News spoke with Hishiyama about Japan's challenges and the aims of his book.

—— Why is the development of new pharmaceuticals in Japan less frequent compared with Europe and America, and why is practical application delayed? Also, how do you view the comparison between Japanese and American medical research policies?

Drug discovery leading to the creation of new drugs requires comprehensive scientific and technological capabilities, from basic research and manufacturing technology to regulatory science that ensures safety and efficacy. Few countries possess this capability, but Japan is one of them. However, in recent years, the scale of research and development has grown larger, making it difficult to keep up. Additionally, basic research that forms the foundation for new drugs has become relatively weaker, leading to a trend of fewer Japan-originated pharmaceuticals.

That said, this doesn't mean we should simply aim to emulate Europe and America. For example, while the United States invests enormous amounts in medical research, the average lifespan of Americans is shorter than that of Japanese people, and the infant mortality rate in the US is higher than in Japan. America's world-leading medical research is not being utilized to bring happiness to people. Japan's life sciences policy should aim for a different form rather than modeling itself after the United States. From this perspective, I remember being quite perplexed when the AMED was called the "Japanese version of NIH" during its establishment.

—— What was your aim in focusing on ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues) when writing this book?

Having been involved in life sciences research promotion and bioethics policy for many years, I believe that life sciences should bring us happiness. Progress in the field is remarkable, with new technologies constantly emerging, such as extending healthy lifespans through aging research, xenotransplantation of pig organs into humans, and new reproductive assistance technologies that can create sperm and eggs. Will these research areas bring us happiness? Or how can they be made to bring us happiness?

I believe it was necessary to consider from an early stage how far such research should be conducted, what kind of society will emerge when these technologies are realized, and what systems will be needed. Going beyond conventional ELSI, I also considered the way budgets are determined as resource allocation and the recently highlighted economic security more broadly as social issues.

—— What should stakeholders work on to solve ELSI problems?

There is no silver bullet for solving ELSI. It requires not only experts in the research areas in question, but also specialists from various fields such as ethics, philosophy, law, economics, sociology, and history to discuss and research together. This sometimes takes time and is, in a sense, very troublesome. Recently, the concept of social co-creation has also attracted significant attention, requiring the participation of patients and citizens. Through social co-creation, I believe we should improve the scientific and technological literacy not only of ordinary citizens but also of politicians and bureaucrats who may be unfamiliar with science and technology but have decision-making authority. I also believe that the Science Council of Japan, which is currently a topic of discussion, should engage in outreach to society as an important stakeholder, and I have written about my expectations for this council.

—— Finally, who do you hope will read this book?

In this book, I aimed for simple writing with university freshmen and sophomores in mind, regardless of their specialization, and included "keyword maps" as overviews at the beginning of each chapter. It will also serve as a reference for medical researchers who need to consider the social aspects of research, researchers who want to understand why their field receives little research funding, researchers who want to know about policy decision-making processes and thinking, and philosophy and sociology researchers who study life sciences as their research subject when they want to get an overview of this problem. It will also be useful for staff at universities and research institutions conducting ethically and socially noteworthy research.