He is a Chief Senior Researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan, specializing in waste management and the promotion of the circular economy. He will be a visiting Professor at AWARE, Politecnico di Milano, for one year from January to December 2026. He obtained his PhD from the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, in 2007. His research has examined how proper source separation by waste generators can reduce environmental impacts. He has extensive experience in both academic research and policy-oriented projects related to waste reduction, recycling systems, circular economy strategies, and life cycle assessment (LCA) in Japan and internationally. His current research focuses on quantitative and qualitative changes in municipal solid waste, particularly in the context of depopulation and aging societies, and their implications for resource efficiency within a circular economy framework. In Japan, highly detailed waste separation is implemented with strong public support; however, waste management remains heavily dependent on incineration, and the separation and valorization of organic waste remain limited. Drawing on good practices in waste separation and organic waste valorization in the City of Milan, as well as the current state and ongoing discussions of the circular economy in Europe, he aims to propose fundamental reforms to Japan’s waste management system and to contribute to the advancement of the circular economy in Japan through collaborative research with the distinguished members of AWARE.