What it is
Science and technology affect everyone, but not equally. Major technological systems often mirror existing social inequalities—from gender disparities in research and environmental harm in rural regions to digital bias against minority groups. Other critical issues include animal exploitation in medical testing, historical eugenics policies, and unequal access to healthcare. The following cases demonstrate how these systemic issues impact real people and ethical decisions.
Personal stories
David's story: David, a biomedical researcher, worked for years in a laboratory testing new pharmaceutical drugs on laboratory animals. Over time, he saw hundreds of animals suffer severe pain. Small cages were used for tests that often failed in human trials. This caused him deep emotional distress. Realising that better non-animal testing methods were being ignored, David quit his laboratory position and publicly supported ethical research standards and modern computer-modelling alternatives. His story illustrates how animal experimentation raises important questions about ethics and animal welfare in modern science.
Maya's story: Maya, a software developer from an ethnic minority background, applied for a position at a leading tech firm. The company used an automated AI tool to evaluate candidates' applications. The system was trained on historical data from previous executives, who were mostly men from majority backgrounds. This is why the AI tool gave her application a lower score. Maya's experience shows how digital bias in modern technology can reinforce racial and gender discrimination in recruitment.
Some broader issues
Gender inequality in modern research: Japan has the lowest proportion of female STEM researchers among developed countries. Cultural norms, media stereotypes, and family pressure often push young women away from scientific careers. In addition, long working hours, lack of support for working mothers, and workplace bias create strong barriers for women trying to advance into leadership positions.
Environmental injustice in energy production: Rural communities face bigger risks than big cities. The 2011 Fukushima disaster proved that rural regions carry long-term health, environmental, and financial dangers from nuclear plants that mainly send electricity to distant cities like Tokyo. Because these large energy facilities are usually placed in poorer areas with smaller populations, local people carry most of the safety risks while urban residents receive most of the benefits.
Digital tools and new forms of discrimination: Advanced artificial intelligence systems and digital surveillance tools target foreign workers and minority groups like the Burakumin more often. Furthermore, as government and private services move online rapidly, Japan risks leaving behind elderly citizens, disabled people, and migrants who lack high-speed internet access, electronic devices, or language support.
Animal experimentation and bioethics: Millions of animals are used worldwide every year in medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic research. Critics argue that keeping animals in small cages and subjecting them to painful procedures is inhumane. Modern alternatives are increasingly available and effective. These include artificial human cell cultures and computer simulations.
Past bioethical failures and state policies: Under the Eugenic Protection Law, which lasted until 1996, thousands of disabled people were forcibly sterilised by the government, and victims are still fighting in court for fair compensation today. Historically, false scientific theories about bloodlines were also used by researchers to label indigenous Ainu people and other groups as biologically inferior, creating long-lasting social prejudice.
Medical technology and health inequality: Expensive modern treatments and medical devices are usually located in large city hospitals, making advanced healthcare harder to reach for people living on small islands and in countryside areas. Medical research often focuses on common health conditions, leaving rare diseases unfunded. In addition, medical clinical trials rarely include enough elderly participants or foreign residents, meaning new medicines are not always designed for everyone's needs.
(1) Digital society: Society 5.0
(2) Biotechnology and society: バイオテクノロジーとは？身近な事例やデメリット、未来の可能性を解説
(3) Women in STEM: World Economic Forum. (17 July 2023). How Japan is encouraging more women into STEM. https://www.weforum.org/stories/all/japan-encouraging-women-into-stem/
(4) Surveillance and privacy: The Mainichi. (17 July 2026). Tokyo ward's facial recognition camera trial raises privacy concerns. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260716/p2g/00m/0na/035000c
(5) Care robotics: The Conversation. (6 March 2026). Even in Japan, robots are a long way from being fully‑fledged carers – here’s why. https://theconversation.com/even-in-japan-robots-are-a-long-way-from-being-fully-fledged-carers-heres-why-281657
(1) Gender inequality in science: Reuters. (12 July 2023). Japan pushes to erase stigma for women in science. (1 minute 31 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPysVPdJLVA
(2) Racial profiling and minority rights: France 24 English. (30 January 2024). Foreign-born residents in Japan file lawsuit over police racial profiling. (2 minutes 45 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJULZMXpwPQ
(3) Environmental injustice and nuclear energy: South China Morning Post. (22 December 2024). Can nuclear waste save this Japanese town? (23 minutes 41 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzkM0jhTWzA
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