THE NIID INFRINGED ON DR. HIDEO ARAI'S RIGHT TO THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH:

YOUR LETTERS OF PROTEST TO THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE NIID AS WELL AS THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR ARE APPRECIATED　

Dr.Hideo Arai is a senior researcher at the NIID (Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases). For the past 15 years he has openly criticized the site and environmental conditions of the NIID at Toyama, Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo, one of the most populated residential areas in the center of Tokyo as well as the poor safety management of the NIID there. As a conscientious and courageous scientist, he appeared as a witness on behalf of the plaintiffs in the court demanding to have experiments of the NIID halted. He is only one staff who has openly and publicly cooperated with the residents around the NIID and criticized the NIID.

Last October he published a book AS A SCIENTIST from one of the prestigious publishers and gave his interview to one of the most influential weeklies in Tokyo. On January 4th of this year Dr. Yoshifumi Takeda, the Director-General of the NIID punished Dr. Hideo Arai with a "serious warning" and the reduction of his bonus on the charge of publication of the book and interview of him. According to Dr. Takeda, Dr. Arai "distorted" the safety management of the NIID and "stained the honor" of it. In response to Dr. Arai's questions, however, Dr. Takeda refused to explain what sentences and parts of the book and the interview "distorted" the safety management of it and "stained the honor" of it.

In this context, few weeks later, Dr. Arai sued the government, Dr. Takeda and Dr. Takeshi Kurata as a Vice-Director-General of the NIID, as defendants on the charge of the libel and damage before the Tokyo District Court.

Since 1987 the leadership of the NIID have well been informed of the stance of Dr. Arai, but have not even tried to persuade Dr. Arai to withdraw his scientific stance, because they did know the justice of Dr. Arai. So, their "punishment" against Dr. Arai is nothing but a serious suppression on science and freedom of speech.

Dear colleagues, would you be kind enough to send letters of protest to Dr. Takeda and Minister Chikara Sakaguchi of Health, Welfare and Labor to ask them to withdraw the punishment? If you do it, please send me copies of them. Your help and cooperation will be greatly appreciated.