Achieving Bottom-Up ELSI and RRI in Synthetic Biology Research Community from the Japanese Context

Makiko Matsuo^1*Katsumi Hagino²Saya Kawata³Tomohisa Hasunuma⁴Kohsuke Honda⁵

• ¹Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Japan
• ²University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bacteriology, Madison, United States
• ³Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Japan
• ⁴Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe Daigaku, Kobe, Japan
• ⁵International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka Daigaku, Suita, Japan

There is a growing expectation for biomanufacturing and its foundational technology, synthetic biology, in the context of realizing a bioeconomy. Within the broader trends in science and technology policy, the emphasis on "foresight" and "addressing societal challenges" has been increasing. Addressing ethical, legal, and social implications/issues (ELSI) has become a prerequisite for responding to these trends in several countries, including Japan. This paper focuses on a specific aspect of ELSI, rule-making, which is attracting increasing attention in the policy context. It highlights the lack of sufficient "bottom-up" initiatives from the academic research and development (R&D) community in this area and identifies three key areas for action that should be considered: (1) Advancing R&D informed by technological trends as well as policy and societal developments, (2) engaging in proactive deliberation to ensure safety and security, and (3) contributing to discussions on standardization. Moving forward, these recommendations must be elaborated on through discussions with universities, academic societies, the government, funding agencies, industries, and other stakeholders.