Dr. Ryuma Shineha, Associate Professor, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

“Examining innovation as a “human endeavor” from scientific and sociological perspectives”

Dr. Ryuma Shineha is an Associate Professor who specializes in Sociology of Science. While his original focus of study was biotechnology, at a certain point he realized at that science and technology are also “human endeavors.” Since then his focus has been on research into science and technology as a social phenomenon. With a solid foundation in life sciences, Dr. Shineha has been pursuing the sociology of science.

Bridging science and society

I am currently engaged in the following three spheres:
1) I work to articulate and visualize the ethical and societal challenges as well as the broader social impacts associated with advancements in life sciences. This effort aims to proactively establish frameworks and rules for the future.
2) I conduct investigations and studies into science and technology (S&T) policies, which are crucial elements that cannot be overlooked in the process of rulemaking for emerging technologies, and,
3) I also focus on collecting and analyzing narratives from those who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

At first glance, the third area may seem unrelated to the study of rulemaking or policy regarding cutting-edge S&T. However, insights into how people perceive and remember disasters, as well as the societal vulnerabilities revealed through these narratives, often provide valuable perspectives on the societal challenges posed by advanced research areas such as climate control technologies. These three domains are deeply interconnected, constantly influencing and enriching each other to drive meaningful research outcomes.

Shaping ethical frameworks for advancing life sciences

One of the most prominent emerging technologies in recent years is, without a doubt, AI. In relation to 1) and 2) above, I recently chaired the Committee for Designing the Guidelines for Developing and Utilizing AI Technology that Uses Brain Data to Estimate Perceptual Information set by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and published the guidelines in January 2024. While various AI guidelines have been developed both in Japan and overseas to address ethical issues in the utilization of AI technology, AI that handles information from the brain is an area that requires particular ethical consideration, even more so than that of ordinary AI. These considerations have not yet been put together, hindering its use [1]. The Committee addresses ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) related to AI using brain data to estimate perception. By engaging diverse stakeholders and researchers, it has developed draft guidelines to ensure the social acceptance of such technologies.

In parallel, I conducted multiple studies aiming to establish a shared foundation for ethics integration and to enhance governance and practices in emerging S&T including neuroscience, direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, molecular robotics [4], and regenerative medicine [5]. Science and technology have also developed in the area of food such as alternative proteins [6] or genome-edited food [7], with increasing impact on our immediate lives. Encouraging and opening communications with the public are critical in having significant academic and social values in terms of transparency and quality of rulemaking.

Responsible research and innovation (RRI)

The above studies and initiatives are among my recent foci on the investigation and practices on “Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).” RRI is a concept developed in the United States and Europe and plays a critical role in policies for S&T as well as research on the sociology of S&T. Pursuing breakthroughs in R&D, articulation and advocacy of new values out of such breakthroughs, and rulemaking to utilize and leverage such breakthroughs are the three main pillars for a comprehensive ecosystem for innovation. They are thought to all be necessary for innovation and not a single of them can be ignored in terms of international competition in R&D [8].

“What could be spoken” on disaster: Fixed images and narratives

In addition to ethics and governance of S&T, we should also think about the power of images built in society.
When technologies or phenomena gain attention in society, they are often framed and fixed by the media, leading to the establishment of certain social images. This fixation can result in significant drawbacks. Specifically, society may unintentionally narrow its scope for progress by adhering to these fixed images. One example is narratives concerning disaster memories. They are also influenced by media portrayals, often leading to the stereotyping of stories due to media discourses and the focus thereof, the discarding of narratives for the authors’ framings, and the issues on overlooking of “what will not be spoken.”
From my personal experiences and observations, these issues highlight the need to examine the evolving realities of disaster discourse, media frameworks, the author’s power, and structural constraints on what can be communicated.
I seek to consider the possibility of accumulating and describing “what will not be spoken” on disasters and their public values for disaster memories and lessons through analyses of archive practices of discourses and experiences on 3.11 [9].

[1] The Committee for Designing the Guidelines for Developing and Utilizing AI Technology that Uses Brain Data to Estimate Perceptual Information (2024). Guidelines for Developing and Utilizing AI Technology that Uses Brain Data to Estimate Perceptual Information.
[2] Ishida S, Nishitsutsumi Y, Kashioka H, Taguchi T and Shineha R (2023) A comparative review on neuroethical issues in neuroscientific and neuroethical journals. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17:1160611. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1160611
[3] Nagai, K., Tanaka, M., Marcon, A. R., Shineha, R., Tokunaga, K., Caulfield, T., and Takezawa, Y. (2023). Comparing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services in English, Japanese, and Chinese websites. Anthropological Science, 131(1), 3-13.
[4] Komiya, K., Shineha, R. and Kawahara, N. (2022). Practice of responsible research and innovation in the formulation and revision of ethical principles of molecular robotics in Japan. SN Applied Sciences, 4, 305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-05164-z
[5] Shineha, R., Inoue, Y., and Yashiro, Y. (2022). A comparative analysis of attitudes toward stem cell research and regenerative medicine between six countries – A pilot study. Regenerative Therapy,20, 187-193,187-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reth.2022.04.007.
[6] Takeda, K. F., Yazawa, A., Yamaguchi, Y., Koizumi, N., and Shineha, R. (2023). Comparison of public attitudes toward five alternative proteins in Japan. Food Quality and Preference, 105, 104787.
[7] Shineha, R., Takeda, K. F., Yamaguchi, Y., and Koizumi, N. A comparative analysis of attitudes toward genome-edited food among Japanese public and scientific community. PloS ONE, 19(4), e0300107.
[8] Shineha, R. (2024). RRI and Gendered Innovation. In Ogawa, M., Tsuruta, S., and Yuge, N. (eds.). The potential of gendered innovations (pp. 99-118). Tokyo, Japan: Akashi Shobo.
[9] Shineha, R. (2023). “What could be spoken?”: Lessons on disaster memories and narratives from the case of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Korean Journal of the History of Science, 45(2), 397-412.

Text: Saori Obayashi/Edit: Christopher Bubb