In the "Second Basic Plan for GenderEquality" (approved by the Cabinet in December 2005), the field of scienceand technology was positioned as a field requiring new efforts, and a numericaltarget (guideline: 25% for natural sciences as a whole) was set for the firsttime to promote the recruitment of female researchers. In response to this,measures to promote the activities of female researchers have been budgetedsince FY2006. However, the ratio of women to all researchers in Japan is 17.5% (as of the end of March 2021), which is the very low level in the world. Inaddition, the ratio of women in higher ranks decreases further. Against thebackground of this situation, the Society of Japanese Women Scientists (SJWS) held a symposium on September 26, 2021 under the theme of "Expectationsfor Women Scientists: Why Aren’t More Women Scientists? In this paper, we explain the proposalscompiled by SJWS in October, 2021 and the panel discussion that formed thebasis of them, compare and analyze them with those made in March, 2005, anddiscuss the significance of advocacy activities by academic organiztions andfuture issues.

Since its establishment in 1958, the Society of Japanese Women Scientists (SJWS) has contributed to the improvement of the environment and promotion for many female researchers. The activities of SJWS involves initiating pioneering efforts: increasing opportunities for female scientists in Japan to participate in decision-making positions, supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educational activities, and building a gender equality network. At the same time, SJWS is continuing activities that represent Japan in building an international network in collaboration with like-minded organizations in Japan and overseas. Here, I look back on the international activities of SJWS so far and summarize their achievements. I also introduce the international organizations in which SJWS is currently participating and the international efforts being implemented through their activities.

“JNWES” was organized to support exchanges and collaborations between female engineers and scientists in Japan and around the world, and is a registered organization of the global network in Japan. In addition to participating in international conferences, it will become a host organization when it is held in Japan, and will also support the career development of next-generation female engineers and scientists in Japan and support activities for female junior and senior high school students to choose their career paths in STEM fields. This paper introduces its origins, and past and present activities.

Although the new era of precision medicine has come in Japan, the decease relating mutations without effective drugs are still remained. It is considered that the inhibitor development is not so easy for 75% of known decease relating proteins so-called “undruggable targets”. The protein degradation technology, which can induce ubiquitination of target protein, is expected to unlock undruggable targets, while it is still difficult because of the technological challenges included in current protein degradation technology. We have succeeded to induce degradation of the true undruggable targets KRAS G12D and G12V using originally developed chemical knockdown technology named CANDDY. In this report, we would outline the novel drug-development strategy for undruggable targets using CANDDY with an example of development of KRAS G12D/V degrader.

The development of drugs that target specific proteins has been mainly promoted for molecular-targeted therapies but there are many examples of proteins that are difficult to target owing to their structural characteristics. However, the development of drugs targeting non-canonical nucleic acid structures, including G-quadruplexes (G4), has progressed and is expected to have applications in new cancer treatment methods. In this review, we explain why G4 is attracting attention as a therapeutic target molecule and how to introduce antitumor activity in G4 ligands with photosensitizing abilities that can be adapted for photodynamic cancer therapies.

With the rapid increase in aging population, the number of elderlies with dementia in the world is estimated to exceed 160 million within 20 years. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 70% of dementia, which 90% onset with aging. The brain pathologies of AD show amyloid β (Aβ)-aggregated senile plaques, Tau protein hyperphosphorylation-degenerated neurofibrils and microglial activation-related neuroinflammation. On the other hand, systemic inflammation which is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, induces neuroinflammation resulting in promoting onset and progression of AD. Periodontitis is attracting attention as an aggravating factor for AD because the components of P.gingivalis, the major periodontal bacteria, has been detected in the AD autopsy brain. We are incorporating in elucidating the involvement of periodontitis in AD using the constructing analysis methods. The present review will outline the roles of systemic inflammation in AD, and introduce the involvement mechanisms of periodontitis in the onset and progression of AD.

Organic compounds containing heteroatoms in the third row of the periodic table, particularly sulfur and phosphorous, are widely used in pharmaceuticals and biostimulants. It is essential to develop novel efficient synthetic methods for heavy-heteroatom organic compounds containing sulfur and phosphorous atoms. Compared with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, which are second-row heteroatoms, sulfur and phosphorous atoms are larger, polarizable, and oxidizable. Thus, these heavy-heteroatom organic compounds can interact well with biomacromolecules and exhibit diverse biological functions. In this work, a novel method of synthesizing heavy-heteroatom organic compounds using transition-metal catalysts was developed. The reactions use inexpensive sulfur reagents and are reversible and energy-saving without the need to use bases. This transition-metal-catalyst method can be carried out in a homogeneous system in water, and provides chemically modified peptides and proteins. Synthetic compounds for biostimulants and pharmaceuticals have been developed using designed unsymmetric bis (heteroaryl) HetAr–X–HetAr’ compounds, which have flexible and rigid HetAr groups containing sulfur and phosphorus atoms capable of interacting with biomacromolecules, and exhibit various biological activities.

The “Science Summer Camp for Highschool Girls” started in 2005 and has been held every summer with an expanded number of participants since 2007. The National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) and the Japan Inter-Society Liaison Association Committee for Promoting Equal Participation of Men and Women in Science and Engineering (EPMEWSE) have taken the lead in receiving subsidies from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The scientific career promotion support working group for junior and senior high school girls was established in 2015 in EPMEWSE. I have run the Summer Studies Executive Committee as its representative. The manuscript introduces the history and characteristics of summer camp, their involvement with EPMEWSE, their achievements, and new developments.

Marie S. Curie is one of the scientific legends of the 20^th century. However, it is not well-known that she was a great science educator. She taught her original science lessons that is recorded in “Leçons de Marie Curie” by Isabelle Chavannes, to approximately ten children aged 9～13 from 1907 to 1908. It demonstrates how she was an innovative science educator, and facilitated young students to learn successfully. In her lessons, attention was carefully paid to the students understanding the principles and concept behind phenomena. It is surprising how easily she gave explanations of difficult concepts, principles and theorems to the students. The experiments were not just for demonstration. Without principles experiments are worth nothing.

I have devoted to elucidate her methodologies of science education based on the records in “Leçons de Marie Curie”, and tried to revive them. I will also report the science show programs with KAMISHIBAI (the Japanese story telling with pictures) to stimulate young girls for STEM since 2002.

I advocate Marie Curie teaching method by adapting modern devices for extracurricular activities in science at school. As Michael Faraday’s The Chemical History of a Candle , Marie Curie’s “Leçons de Marie Curie” is the Science Education Heritage.

The coronavirus pandemic has also affected careerdevelopment. The pandemic has also affected my career development. I havetended to delay my study abroad due to my degree, medical specialization, andvarious life events, but the pandemic has made things even more difficult for me.This time, I was able to plan and carry out my study abroad during this period,and I will report on the disadvantages and advantages unique to the Coronadisaster, as well as the preparation items for studying abroad with a singlechild.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics - International Conference on Women in Physics (IUPAP ICWIP) is the international conference organized for Women in Physics, who started as her working group WG5 at IUPAP. Since there are two physics societies in Japan, Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) and The Physical Society of Japan (JPS), we participated in the 7th IUPAP-ICWIP as a collaboration team of women in both JSAP and JPS. We have made 4 presentations on the environment of women physicists in Japan.

Natsugaku2021 was held online on August 8th and 9th with the cooperation of EPMEWSE, sponsored by NPO GSTEM-CPP. 127 female junior and senior high school students from all over the country participated. 26 female university and graduate student staff (TA) and more than 200 executive committee members from academic societies, universities, high schools and companies in the field of science and technology, cooperated to run the program. SJWS participates in planning and management, university & career information cafes, experiments and posters career counseling, interacts with many female junior and senior high school students, and conveyed the fun of science careers and science.