ABSTRACT
Although some people have been using the phrase ‘science communications’ since the mid-1990s, it is only recently that the concept has come under the social spotlight, after Science Communication by S. Stocklemyer was translated into Japanese in 2003, and three major universities launched the fi rst training programs for science communicators and journalists with the aid of government grants in 2005. For several years, various cities and towns, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Sapporo, have been competing with each other to set up an enjoyable science café. During the science and technology week 2006 there were 21 science café events in Japan. Moreover, lectures, symposiums, and workshops related to science communications are blooming everywhere.
