January 22, 2020
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Zoological Society of Japan
Chairman Yoshitaka Oka
Towards a Truly Sustainable Zoological Society
At the beginning of 2020, I would like to say a few words of greeting.
Lately, we frequently hear the term SDGs even in our daily lives, and whenever we try to propose a project—such as an estimated budget request—at universities and other institutions, we are almost always instructed to clearly specify which of the SDGs the project corresponds to. However, pausing here for a moment, I would like to consider what we, as members of the Zoological Society, should be doing right now in order to aim for a truly sustainable Zoological Society.
As I wrote in my New Year's greeting last year, the Zoological Society of Japan, having originated in 1878 as the University of Tokyo Biological Society, is a biological science society with a remarkably long history of over 140 years, both in Japan and internationally. Although the Society was established through the initiative and efforts of figures who helped found it, such as E. S. Morse and Ryokichi Yatabe, along with the financial support of professors primarily centered around the Imperial University, it expanded nationwide from an alumni-like gathering in a relatively short period. This is said to be due to the growing social interest in zoology within Japan at the time, with both researchers and the general public holding a keen interest in the field. Perhaps reflecting this, from quite an early period up to the present day, the Zoological Society of Japan has maintained a bottom-up structure: it comprises seven regional branches across the country, each carrying out its own activities—such as distinctive branch meetings—as part of the whole, with annual meetings hosted on a rotating basis among the branches. In the context of today's domestic academic societies, this type of organizational form and activity is exceedingly rare; yet, I believe this very feature is the defining characteristic of the Zoological Society of Japan and the driving force behind its long history and continued active engagement.
However, just because we have been able to build a long history up to now does not mean it will be so easy to continue accumulating history in the same way from now on; I believe it will be difficult without unremitting effort and reform. Amidst this, one important thing is that the various branch committee members, headquarters board members, and branch representatives who support the society's activities, as well as the members of the branch convention organizing committees who run the annual society convention each year, need to undergo healthy and natural generational turnover. The reason why the Board of Directors and the Board's social gathering, held the day before the society convention, are open to not only directors and auditors, but also members of the various committees, is because we want members who will be active as the next generation of directors to experience firsthand what is being discussed at board meetings. Therefore, if you are appointed to a committee, I strongly encourage you to actively attend the board meetings and social gatherings, and especially at the social gatherings, to corner the president and directors and talk with them about various things. In addition, I ask that young members, once appointed as committee members, actively participate in the Zoological Society's bottom-up activities, communicate what you feel and notice through those activities to the surrounding committee chairs and directors (committee chairs are generally directors), and convey them directly to the board members during the board meeting at the time of the convention. As you will understand if you attend a board meeting, the current board has a truly open atmosphere, so anyone can say whatever is on their mind without worry.
Lastly, I would like to highlight and report on just one item regarding our activities in 2019 and our planned activities for 2020.
The Zoological Society is launching a new grant program.
As already communicated to our members, using the generous donation made to the Zoological Society by the bereaved family of Dr. Mariko Myohara, a former member of the Society, as a fund to launch a new grant program, we successfully completed the extremely time-consuming amendment of our Articles of Incorporation thanks to the cooperation of our members. Following that, centering on the secretariat, we had countless exchanges with the Cabinet Office, and finally received certification on January 22nd, enabling the Zoological Society to launch the new grant program. As an important matter decided during this process, befitting a public interest incorporated association, the guidelines do not restrict grant eligibility to members of the Zoological Society, but instead specify it for "individuals conducting outstanding research in basic biology (zoology) who have difficulty obtaining sufficient research funding from sources other than this grant." We believe this aligns with the wishes of Dr. Mariko Myohara, who wanted to "provide research grants to those who are conducting outstanding research in basic zoology but are not blessed with research funding." Between now and early April, we will prepare the application guidelines and forms so that we can begin accepting applications as quickly as possible starting in April.
Additionally, the headquarters-organized session at the Annual Meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan in Yonago, scheduled for September 2020, is planned to feature lectures by the three recipients of this inaugural grant. Moving forward, centered around such new initiatives, we aim to make the activities of the Zoological Society of Japan increasingly fitting for a public interest incorporated association. We hope that these activities will gain widespread recognition among both our members and the general public, thereby contributing to the promotion of fundamental zoological science.
We sincerely hope that the year 2020, which coincides with the momentous Olympic Year, will be a fulfilling and wonderful year for all our members.
