Science communication is definitely one of the most prominent topics in Japanese STS, especially over the last several years. The year 2005 is considered to have been the “First Year of Japanese Science Communication” (Kobayashi 2007: 18). It was a landmark year when science communicator training programs were established in three universities under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). In addition, two leading national science museums also launched similar training programs the following year when the Third Science and Technology Basic Plan (FY2006-2010) was announced by the government. The plan sought to (1) encourage outreach activities by universities and research institutes, (2) promote public participation in science and technology, and (3) help cultivate professional science communicators (Government of Japan 2006). Because it was explicitly embedded in government science and technology policy, science communication began to receive great attention, especially within the scientific community, and this led to a wide range of related activities occurring over a period of just a few years.
