抄録
From an ethical viewpoint concerning citizens'movements, this paper criticizes the inadequate location of a large pathogen laboratory in a densely populated residential area of Tokyo. About two years ago, the National Institute of Health (NIH) that is Japan's largest research laboratory dealing with many species and large quantities of pathogenic agents moved to the newly constructed building located on a small site in Toyama of Shinjuku ward. During the past 7-8 years, many citizens living near the new NIH building and people of Waseda University have developed strong countermovements including a lawsuit against NIH. Regardless of the citizens'opposition, NIH dared to move to the densely populated area and began research works using various pathogens at seven containmentlaboratories of Biosafety Level 3 (P-3 Laboratories). This coercive attitude of NIH has threatened citizens'peaceful lives, giving them very unpleasant feelings. Many difficult problems are involved in the conflict between NIH and opponent citizens, for example, environmental risk assessment of biohazards caused by pathogen experiments, lack of social conscience and presence of anti-citizen sense among NIH people, inevitability of citizens'resistance against the national power that may destroy citizens'living environments, oppression of citizens'humane emotion by the national power and so forth. The present author thinks the coercive move of NIH to Toyama is against both bioethics and environmental ethics in these times. NIH should be relocated to any relevant place other than the densely populated town, Toyama. In addition, a method of environmental risk assessment for pathogen-related research facilities should be established as soon as possible by the authority concerned.
