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Japan space research team tampered with experiment data: JAXA

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So tampering with actual result not only done by business world

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Truck-maker-Hino-reveals-years-of-faked-emissions-data

but also from researcher too in Japan, that's happened in the past

https://www.science.org/content/article/riken-panel-finds-misconduct-reprogrammed-stem-cell-papers

Both of them like to bow on the front of public these days.

-7 ( +14 / -21 )

You only bow if you are caught!

-1 ( +28 / -29 )

Does shameful behaviour have no end in Japan? And all forgiven with a bow? Disgraceful, and worthy of dismissal.

-2 ( +30 / -32 )

Why even do a study on someone's "psychological well-being" if you'll then fabricate the results?!

Science should be about getting closer to the truth and making people's lives better. But I guess in a culture in which things appearing to be great is valued over everything, facts can take a back seat.

-1 ( +26 / -27 )

I wonder what data was tampered with? Maybe that the image of Japanese and their ability to "gaman suru" in any situation didnt actually happen in the test situation?

-9 ( +15 / -24 )

Does shameful behaviour have no end in Japan?

Correct.

And all forgiven with a bow?

Correct again.

Disgraceful, and worthy of dismissal

That's 3 in a row

-13 ( +15 / -28 )

Cheating in that field will affect the lives of future ISS workers. Shameful and unforgivable.

17 ( +21 / -4 )

How many cases of ‘tampering’ never come to light I wonder?

1 ( +18 / -17 )

Ahhh Japan you’ve levelled up and done it again.

-14 ( +12 / -26 )

Tampering with data and information seems like the go-to strategy so often, from car companies to Obokata to labels on food to criminal evidence. Yet, it doesn't seem to undermine trust that much, as will be evidenced by tomorrow morning by the thumbs down to this post. The ideology is that Japan is composed of trustworthy people of integrity and that seems to trump the evidence of endless stories like this.

4 ( +17 / -13 )

How sad, when you see such talents resorting to such tactics. Honesty is precious commodity.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

I’d be very sceptical if Japan’s future moon landing uncovered buried archeological artifacts. The Fujimura scandal rewrote the history books, but not in a good way.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

The experiment involved 40 people confined to a closed environment for about two weeks at a facility in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.

You'd think a nation so used to being confined in closed environments wouldn't have to resort to fabricating and tampering the results. If they wanted to get in the spotlight, they sure achieved it...just not in the way they wanted.

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

The subjects devolved into two camps as depicted in Lord of the Flies and it became too embarrassing to publish the truth. No? Oh well. If there isn't any transparency on what was tampered with, our imagination can run wild.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Utterly pointless activity, the whole point is to obtain valid and repeatable results, anything else will be discovered one way or another so why bother? The whole exercise was a waste of money and peoples time. Those responsible should reimburse the funders and compensate the participants for the days of their lives wasted and they will never get back.

These repeated cases of fraud and falsification bring in to question the reliability of all Japanese scientific results, which is deeply unfair on those who are honest.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Apparently it wasn't Furukawa who fabricated the data, but someone else down the ladder doing the actual research work. It's difficult to catch these things, especially if one has no expertise on the topic (possibly the case for Furukawa; who may just be a figurehead). I wouldn't blame him yet.

Although not believed to be directly involved in the misconduct, Furukawa bore partial responsibility as he had a "supervisory role" in the experiment, JAXA Vice President Hiroshi Sasaki said.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Great, so the average person can't handle it in Space alone, so send me up instead, I could do with the peace and quiet.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

When commenting on irregularities or misconducts in another country, one tends to end up preaching from moral high standing as many posters here do.

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

Not important. The ISS is out of date and will become a tourist attraction. The china one is where real work will take place. Recommend buying stock in this one.

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

A very important problem is the ingrained culture of obedience and secrecy, which makes people be lax in keeping an eye on subordinates and also makes it incomprehensible the concept of questioning what a superior says. This makes for a fertile ground for unethical people to lie their guts out without being discovered. Fortunately this is not so common (yet) but the simple fact that the author with most retractions (and 5 in total of the worst 10) is Japanese shows that this is a serious problem that has to be dealt systematically.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

Do Japanese organizations and committees NOT tamper with things? Olympics, JAXA, Mitsubishi, Dentsu...... the list goes on and on.

5 ( +13 / -8 )

same bowing comedy over and over again?

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

Save Japanese taxpayer money by immediately withdrawing from this wasteful exercise in national prissy. Ace JAXA now and solve the homeless crisis.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

How long until the next falsified data and deep bow story.. not long I bet.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

Japan doing what Japan does!

"Fake it until you make it or get caught doing it!"

Are the heads affiliated with the LDP?

Another buddy of Shinzo?

-7 ( +8 / -15 )

I wonder, are there Japanese words for MORALS, ETHICS or being ETHICAL?

I'm assuming they don't exist.

-10 ( +7 / -17 )

Japan space research team tampered with experiment data:

Scientists are supposed to be honest/virtuous & thus respected/trusted.

But when some researchers start to tamper & manipulate with data, they affect the credibility of all scientists.

Japanese should know better..

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@Awa no Gaijin - Still sounds like an excellent reason to stay far away from those who do have a Superiority complex, or wish to promote their side of Politics, etc. I bet I could outlast everyone on a long distance Space excursion - couple of years, no problem.

And by the lowered standards, I guess you're referring to the British Paralympian .. ?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

But but but ... trust the science.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

These repeated cases of fraud and falsification bring in to question the reliability of all Japanese scientific results, which is deeply unfair on those who are honest.

True, but this is not limited to Japan. We should question the reliability of all scientific results.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

We do... It's how things like this get found out. (Speaking as a scientist)

True, but this is not limited to Japan. We should question the reliability of all scientific results.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

No matter who is public, front center bent double, to deliberately alter and fabricate research data is a criminal offence.

Bowing, and falling back or blaming sloppy management is attempting to brush the smelly stuff under the carpet and it stinks.

The team, headed by 58-year-old astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, "fabricated," as well as "altered large amounts of data" concerning the psychological well-being of participants in the experiment, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said at a press conference.

The importance and benefits of research, the investment, trust that the results will provoke harness critical thinking through the time spent assessing analytical skills.

It an embarrassment, a criminal betrayal of J company's integrity

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The experiment cost close to $2 million dollars apparently. There’s a little more detail here including what areas they got wrong, with some sloppy corner-cutting stuff like not getting proper prior informed consent, etc.

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20221125/k00/00m/040/226000c

3 ( +3 / -0 )

From the linked Mainichi article above.

Addition of data that did not actually exist.

Large areas of data were altered, resulting in loss of authenticity.

Research was carried out on mental well-being without clarifying the methods to be used for evaluation in advance.

Not enough study notes were compiled.

There is no record of having obtained the chairman’s approval in advance.

Some lack of proper explanation when obtaining informed consent from participants.
3 ( +4 / -1 )

Is furukawa a former astronaut? I find it strange that an astronaut is running / managing a psychological study such as this... I thought he would be either training physically / mentally for space or resting. An advisory role perhaps but not a managing role.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is why I'm saying it shouldn't be blamed on Furukawa, but the person who did the falsification, and probably whoever made Furukawa the supervisor of the project despite having no expertise on the topic (he was a surgeon and then an astronaut).

He was officially certified as an astronaut in 2001 after working as a gastrointestinal surgeon.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I wonder, are there Japanese words for MORALS, ETHICS or being ETHICAL?

Yes, shogun, there are words. But ethics are mostly situational in Japan. They are mostly not absolute. What is right mostly depends on what everyone else does, and that ultimately means, what everyone in Japan does. There is an ideology but it is mostly at complete odds with reality because it is made to conceal the reality of things or justify them when confronted by comparison with some kind of more universal ethics, like, say, human rights.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Research grants/investments are vital to the medium long term J economy.

If there is doubt to their validity then this has a detrimental effect on J research integrity across the board.

US Tech invest $100's of millions in J skills, development, and analytics.

These fools and clowns put that in jeopardy.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I like how Furukawa "will be punished" but his plans for going to the ISS have not changed at all. haha. Sounds about right for Japan. They'll probably go so far as to give him a stern look.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

smithinjapan,

Furukawa is just step one on a ladder.

The implications could be far reaching.

Research at this level are teams.

To be instrumental is such alleged fraudulent activity is not confined to an individual.

There are supposed checks and balances.

To falsify data on such a level across a whole technical community.#

The bowing and stern looks are over.

There has to be a drains up investigation.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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