An investigative' committee of the government-backed Riken research institute announced Tuesday that Dr. Haruko Obokata committed two cases of research misconduct — fabrication and manipulation of data — in writing two papers on the discovery of a potentially groundbreaking method to create pluripotent stem cells. Obokata strongly rebutted the findings by the committee.
If what is pointed out by the committee's report is true, it is so grave that it could lead people to question the credibility of scientific research in general in Japan. A series of examples of misconduct in writing scientific papers have been found, including at the University of Tokyo and Tsukuba University.
Whatever the truth may be, the report should serve as a reminder that not only Riken, where Obokata works, but also the science community in Japan must make strenuous efforts to ensure researchers strictly follow ethical rules for scientists in carrying out research and writing scientific papers.