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The Mainichi
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japan focusing on a fix for device-linked youth eye condition
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- While prolonged use of smartphones and other digital devices has long been linked to nearsightedness, a rare eye ailment is becoming more common in today's digital age, with those impacted, particularly young people, having an eye turn inward, making them appear cross-eyed. The condition known as acquired esotropia -- a form of "smartphone strabismus" in which one eye directs toward the nose while the other eye remains in a natural position -- is being seen more and more frequently among young people in Japan. Experts warn that excessive use of digital devices can contribute to the condition's onset, recommending that people promptly see an ophthalmologist if they notice abnormalities such as children's eyes that do not align properly, since it is treatable if caught early. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes, often causing double vision or difficulty in depth perception. According to a study conducted by Kyoto University, approximately one in 50 people in Japan have strabismus, and the most common type among Japanese is "external strabismus," in which one eye deviates outward. In recent years, however, as people use smartphones, tablets and gaming devices for longer periods at a time, it has been reported both in Japan and abroad that "internal strabismus" is on the rise. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in the number of publications on acute esotropia, rather than congenital forms of the condition, since 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced people indoors and onto their addictive devices. Back in 2020, at a public lecture entitled "Lights and Shadows of Smartphones" sponsored by the Science Council of Japan, experts introduced data showing that myopia in children is rapidly increasing worldwide, and has tripled in Japan in the last three decades. In addition, there is also an increased risk of strabismus, caused by lying down and looking at screens and having the focus shift from side to side, or having the screen too close to the eyes. Kyoko Ono, a professor of Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital's department of ophthalmology, cautioned that staring at small screens up close on a smartphone is "a strong stimulus that the human eye had never experienced before." "Some data show that people who use smartphones frequently underestimate the amount of time they spend using them," she said. "In children, we hope that parents will manage the time of use properly and ensure that they have time to play outside." According to a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office on the average daily internet usage time, elementary school students spent 118 minutes, junior high school students 164 minutes and high school students 217 minutes with their devices in fiscal 2018. In fiscal 2022, they spent 214 minutes, 277 minutes, and 345 minutes, respectively -- an increase of approximately 100 to 130 minutes in each group. The Japanese Association for Strabismus and Amblyopia and the Japanese Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology called on ophthalmologists to track the use of digital devices and the course of the condition nationwide. As a result, 194 patients with acute acquired strabismus developed within a year were registered. Those whose condition was brought on by accidents or brain abnormalities were excluded from the study. Those surveyed ranged in age from 5 to 35, with the highest number of sufferers being 16 years of age. Those experiencing a higher frequency of the condition were middle and high school students, followed by elementary school students. Only people who used smartphones or other devices for 60 minutes or more per day for elementary school students and younger, and 120 minutes or more for middle and high school students and older were defined as the excessive use groups. Excluding those who did not use devices, there were 156 in the overuse group and 25 in the non-overuse group. The overuse groups were instructed to limit their use of devices to under the excessive times. They were also required to keep at least 30 centimeters between their eyes and the devices and to take 5-minute breaks every 30 minutes of viewing time. Changes were examined after three months. The results showed that 68, or 44 percent, of the patients in the overuse group improved their strabismus symptoms, but only 10 of such patients were completely cured. The majority, 88, or 56 percent, had either no change in symptoms or saw their conditions worsen. Many of those who were cured had less severe strabismus at the onset of their diagnosis and were able to reduce their viewing time by more than half of the original time. Conversely, those whose strabismus was quite advanced at the time of their diagnosis and those who did not reduce their viewing time got worse. The degree of strabismus is diagnosed by measuring the angle of the deviation and the ability for a patient to perceive depth and three-dimensional space. "Symptoms are easily improved by seeing a doctor while they are mild, said Miho Sato, a visiting professor of ophthalmology at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine who compiled the survey. "It's also clear that the symptoms can be improved by changing the way people use their digital devices, such as by reducing the amount of time spent on them or by looking at the devices at a distance." "But once the disease develops, it can be cured only in very mild cases, even if the method of use is improved, so it is advisable to prevent it by using devices properly," she added. According to Sato, strabismus can occur regardless of excessive use of digital devices. When improvement cannot be expected from changes in device usage, injections into the eye muscles to make them less likely to lean in, or surgery to shift the position of the eye muscles, are other options. (By Hajime Tobe)
The Mainichi
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Science Council of Japan must not become government tool
The Science Council of Japan is a representative organization of scientists dedicated to the pursuit of the truth. It must not become a government tool. A law has been passed to turn the Science Council of Japan from a special organization operating independently of the government into a special corporate entity, effective October 2026. There remain concerns that the operational independence of the council could be threatened. It is only natural that the council and academic organizations across Japan have joined in calling for the legislation to be amended or repealed. With the transition, a new mechanism of government oversight has been included, whereby auditors and evaluation committee members appointed by the prime minister will review the council's activity plans and operations. If the government interferes with policy proposals or research directions, academic freedom will be shaken. Government influence may also extend to the selection of members when the new organization is launched. Experts appointed by the prime minister will be included in the committee responsible for selecting members. It will also become possible to dismiss members in the science council's general meetings. Manabu Sakai, the minister of state for special missions in the Cabinet Office, stated in the Diet that dismissal could occur if "specific ideologies or partisan claims are repeatedly made." If political opinions become grounds for dismissal, there is a risk of infringing on freedom of thought and belief. In the first place, reform of the council stemmed from government intervention in personnel decisions. In 2020, a problem erupted over then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's refusal to appoint six people to the science council. Without explaining the reasons, the government proceeded with an organizational review as if to reproach the council for its opposition; an act that invited distrust. The Science Council of Japan was established as a response to the fact that many scientists were coerced into cooperating with the government and military during World War II. In 1950 and 1967, the council issued statements that it would not engage in research for war or military purposes. In 2017, it similarly expressed a cautious stance toward government-promoted research with potential military applications and has repeatedly made recommendations from an independent position. The government's argument is that "to spend government funds, a certain level of involvement is necessary." But if the new organization panders to the government or is used to endorse government policies, questions will be raised about its very existence. Its international reputation will also suffer. Academic freedom and its results are foundational supports for the interests of humanity. The council cannot fulfill its role as an academy providing scientific views as long as there is room for political intervention.
11-06-2025
- Politics
Japan Enacts Law to Turn Science Council into Special Entity
News from Japan Culture Jun 11, 2025 17:51 (JST) Tokyo, June 11 (Jiji Press)--The Diet, or Japan's parliament, on Wednesday passed into law a bill to convert the Science Council of Japan from a state organization into a special public corporation. The new law for the council, which represents the country's scientific community, will come into effect in October 2026. In a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber, the bill was approved by a majority vote with support from the ruling bloc and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), an opposition party, following its passage last month at the House of Representatives, the lower chamber. The SCJ had called for revising the bill due to concerns about its independence. Meanwhile, an amendment proposed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was voted down Tuesday at the Cabinet Committee of the Upper House. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan science body to become corporate entity amid autonomy concerns
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese parliament enacted Wednesday a bill to turn a government advisory body of scientists into a corporate entity, a move that academics have criticized as potentially infringing on its independence through stronger state oversight. Under the new law, the Science Council of Japan, currently a special organization operating independently from the government, will be given the status of a special corporate entity from October 2026. Members will no longer be appointed by the prime minister from a list of nominations compiled exclusively by the council, with third-party experts, including non-scientists, getting a say in the council's composition. In addition, outside auditors and committee members selected by the prime minister will now oversee the council's operations in a bid to enhance transparency. The changes "would place (the council) under political and administrative control or pressure," and "undermine (its) scientific freedom, and its freedom of choice in selecting which scholars" join it, the council said earlier in a statement. The debate over the council's corporate status stems from 2020 when then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in an unprecedented move, blocked six scholars who had been critical of his predecessor Shinzo Abe's policies from joining the council. Suga has since refused to give his reason for rejecting the scholars. The 210-member council, established in 1949, has been critical especially of the government's promotion of arms technology, such as the Defense Ministry's policy of pushing research that could be diverted to military technologies. Ahead of the passage of the bill, submitted by the government, there had been concerns over whether the council could ensure its independence, given that the new law no longer includes a clause that says the council performs its duties "independently." The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the major opposition force, proposed an amendment to the bill to include a clause stating the council's independence, but this was voted down at Tuesday's upper house committee. The council has also criticized financial aid in the form of subsidies, saying this not only restricts the entity's freedom in its activities but poses concerns about financial stability. The new law only says the state can subsidize the necessary funds. Currently, the government disburses around 1 billion yen ($6.9 million) annually to the council.
The Mainichi
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japan university under fire for offering courses in pseudoscientific 'healing therapies'
TOKYO -- Speaking positively to water creates beautiful ice crystals; sugar pellets infused with highly diluted minerals and other substances can heal disease: These are typical claims associated with controversial "hado" vibrational healing and homeopathy, respectively. Despite scientific-sounding descriptions, experts have long identified such methods as pseudoscience -- practices lacking scientific credibility, evidence or the capability for rigorous testing and validation. Yet, at Kanagawa Dental University's graduate school in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, such questionable therapies feature prominently in the syllabus of an integrative medicine course for working adult students, attended by individuals who already hold national medical credentials such as doctors and nurses. Lecturers include representatives and senior leaders brought from organizations promoting these methods. Academic experts warn that the situation carries substantial risks. "The fact that a university offers such courses could grant pseudoscience and its promoting bodies undeserved legitimacy, potentially misleading more people," cautioned one scholar. Moreover, university sources indicate the courses themselves are not actually funded or run by Kanagawa Dental University. Methods rejected by Japan's Science Council The course in question began in academic 2022 on the top floor of a five-story building near JR Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The tuition fee for the one-year course is 1.2 million yen (around $8,300). This year's lectures -- totaling around 180 hours -- cover more than 30 controversial self-proclaimed therapies. Hado once sparked controversy when it was adopted into elementary school moral education classes, criticized as pseudoscience creeping into classrooms. Homeopathy was formally rejected by a 2010 statement from the Science Council of Japan, explicitly denying its therapeutic effectiveness. The university's syllabus even covers "Edgar Cayce therapy," which is claimed to have been started by a psychic with clairvoyant abilities. According to people involved, the course was originally proposed to the university by Akira Kawashima, a medical doctor frequently appearing on television. When contacted, Kanagawa Dental University representatives replied that "Kawashima will respond directly." Kawashima himself commented, "Integrative medicine includes the good and the bad alike. It's essential to train medical professionals, after mastering Western medicine, to get accurate insights into various techniques so that, when patients ask about them, they're able to distinguish legitimate treatments from fraudulent ones." Who manages the university course? Although billed as a university offering, the course is actually funded and administered by a general incorporated association through a service contract with the university. The association's head is a doctor who runs a psychosomatic internal medicine clinic in Tokyo. She promotes procedures involving "hand power healing," claiming on her own website: "Invisible energy definitely exists," adding that "the delicate energy changes in body and mind can be perceived and rebalanced through one's palms." Responding to inquiries, the doctor acknowledged her organization's role in operating the course. She explained that the company initially tasked with administrative duties withdrew, prompting Kawashima to ask her to take over. Last December, she organized a public lecture featuring a leading representative of an Edgar Cayce promotion group at the same Tokyo building. Flyers advertising the event prominently mentioned her group's role managing the university-related courses. Experts convey concern Attempts to introduce unscientific concepts such as hado, the "gaming brain" theory and EM (effective microorganism) bacteria into educational settings have previously caused public concern. However, experts pointed out that cases of universities proactively teaching these pseudosciences in a positive light have been extremely rare. Professor Masato Ishikawa of Meiji University, an expert in cognitive science, explained, "There are scenarios where universities teach pseudoscience -- for example, studying 'witches' from a cultural or anthropological perspective. But actual proponents presenting lectures cannot respond to scientific criticism." In 2014, Meiji University planned a course for the general public featuring promoters of pseudoscience like hado and EM bacteria, but canceled it due to faculty opposition. Professor Ishikawa further warned of the risks posed because students already have medical qualifications. "Course participants pay fees and receive official certificates of completion. Thus, it raises the likelihood they'll offer these practices themselves," he said, expressing concern about an increase in medical clinics providing treatments lacking scientific validity. Comments from the education ministry Upon completion of the one-year program, participants receive official certificates issued under the School Education Act. A representative from the education ministry's university promotion division, which manages the law in question, stated, "Ultimately, universities hold full responsibility for the content of their certified programs." However, regarding dubious therapies suspected as pseudoscience being taught within the courses, the ministry representative explained, "We, as an administrative body, are not in a position to determine if particular course contents qualify as pseudoscience." Professor Satoru Kikuchi, a psychologist at Shinshu University who is knowledgeable about pseudoscience, criticized what he sees as the universities' irresponsibility: "It seems universities play down the responsibility involved in teaching positively about therapies without a scientific basis." Kikuchi further argued that the education ministry's approach is problematic as well, declaring, "Entrusting universities alone to check their course content mimics the situation with the functional food labeling system -- where responsibility for confirming the safety and efficacy of functional foods was pushed onto private industry, resulting in health problems. It's essentially equivalent to the ministry abandoning its supervisory responsibilities."
