Laureates blast science budget cuts

Some of the brightest minds in science on Wednesday criticized recommendations by a government task force that budgets for science and technology projects be frozen or cut substantially.

Four Nobel Prize laureates--Reona Esaki, Susumu Tonegawa, Ryoji Noyori and Makoto Kobayashi--and mathematician Shigefumi Mori, who has won the Fields Medal, said in a joint statement: "If (science and technology projects) are suspended, there will be a drain of talent that will cause irreparable damage. We strongly hope that the government will not let such a serious situation occur."

The Government Revitalization Unit said the 26.8-billion-yen budget for the next-generation supercomputer project should be frozen.(IHT/Asahi: November 26,2009)