Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science (KURNS)
Beginning with high-sensitivity analysis of radioactive materials and research on the concentration and distribution of long-lived radionuclides in human body and the food, I have been engaged in analysis and kinetic research of radioactive materials in the atmosphere and ocean. I have been engaged in environmental science research all through my research carrier, although it is broad and superficial. I was interested in atmospheric observation research at a high altitude mountain base, and I once focused on observation at the summit of Mt. Fuji. During 10 to 15 years of 1990s and 2000s, I have been engaged in research on atmospheric aerosols, such as Asian dust, black carbon (soot), and PM 2.5, in order to contribute to the improvement of numerical aerosol transport models, while also taking into account my role as a researcher at an institute of the Japan Meteorological Agency to which I belonged at that time.
Following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, I returned to the focus of research on radioactive materials in the atmosphere, and contributed to the discovery of insoluble particulate Cs released from the accident. I also tried to clarify the mechanism of Cs resuspension from forests (bioaerosols such as fungal spores which serve as carriers). Considering the role of bioaerosols in the atmosphere, we are now collaborating with many people in various observation and experimental studies. The study of the dynamics of radioactive materials in the environment is unspectacular, but it can be said that there are many attractive research topics that will satisfy our intellectual interests such as the discovery of processes that nobody has paid attention to.
Since January 2019, I have been engaged in safety management at Kyodai Kumatori, and have been busy with the safety tasks and teaching students.