Science Communication: Bridging Between Science and Society

As science and technology have become integral parts of our lives, science communication has become extremely important in bridging the gap between science and society. Science communication includes a variety of activities: science festivals, science cafés, scientific educational programs, science films and TV programs, websites, social media, and researcher outreach efforts. Recently, citizen science has also been considered one of the approaches to science communication. Science communication has developed mainly in Europe. In Japan, it has been promoted since the 1990s, focusing on dialogue with the public under the Basic Plan for Science and Technology. This chapter intends to provide basic knowledge of science communication and the current situation in Japan.