Organization

Staff

Director (concurrently)
Past center directors can be found here.
Name Ken-ichi TOGAWA
Position Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences (Faculty of Law) Professor Fields of Expertise Economic geography
Comment.

I was appointed to the Faculty of Law at Kumamoto University in October 2005, and am in charge of Economics and Business Administration in the Liberal arts and Economics courses in the Faculty of Law, and the Environmental Policy and Environmental Systems in the Department of Public Policy, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences.
From the fiscal year 2015, I also served as the Director of the Environmental Safety Center. Together with full-time faculty member Yoshihiro Yamaguchi and the rest of the staff, I will strive to support education and research related to the environment and safety at Kumamoto University, albeit in a limited capacity. I look forward to working with you.

Research Topics

My specialty is economic geography. I am particularly interested in resources, energy, waste, and recycling.
In undergraduate education, we read classics in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as current topics that are noteworthy, while respecting students' autonomy. We also support independent seminar activities (Nissho Bookkeeping Certification Seminar, seminar camps), valuing student independence.

Major Results

Please refer to the research map.
https://researchmap.jp/read0184702/

I have recently published a book on environmental policy. If you are interested in the book, you can find it in the book section of the Kumamoto University Co-op, Kurokami-North Campus. I hope you will take a look at it.
Togawa, Kenichi (2017); "Resource Policy and Environmental Policy: A Case Study of Japan's Automobile Recycling Policy," Hara Shobo.

(Reference)
2013 to 2015 Scientific research fees Baseline research (C)
Japan-Korea Comparative Study on the International Development of the Automobile Recycling Industry (Principal Investigator)
2015 Powerpoint presentation given at the Society for Material Cycles and Waste Management, Kyushu University, Japan. (Joint report with research members: Prof. Jeongsoo Yu, Tohoku University; Prof. Mami Kimura, Okinawa International University; Prof. Kishimoto Takane, Okinawa International University; Prof. Yutaka Asazuma, Hokkai-Gakuen University)

Contact.

E-mail: togaw[at]kumamoto-u.ac.jp ([at] should be replaced with @)
The room is on the second floor of the Law and Literature Building, facing the Memorial Museum of the Fifth High School. There is a sign on the door marked "Togawa Laboratory". If you wish to visit, please make an appointment in advance.

Links
Faculty (full-time)
Name Yoshihiro YAMAGUCHI
Position Associate Professor, Environmental Safety Center Fields of Expertise Enzyme Chemistry, Environmental Safety Science
Comment.

I was transferred from the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2006 to take up a full-time faculty position at the Center for Environmental Safety. My work focuses on chemical substance management, utilizing my background in pharmacology. I am particularly interested in using my position as a faculty member to provide education on safety and environmental management, as well as research and development on improving the efficiency of these activities.
The Environmental Safety Center is positioned as a joint education and research facility within the university, and it is supported by full-time faculty members, as well as administrative and technical staff involved in environmental safety management. By centralizing support operations for environmental safety management as center operations, we are ensuring the expertise and efficiency of our operations. This type of organization is very rare in Japan. The center also has an analysis laboratory for business use and a laboratory for faculty use.
I would like to make the most of this advancement and work together with all the people involved so that the activities of the Kumamoto University Environmental Safety Center can contribute to the improvement of the university's environmental safety, not only within the university but also outside the university.

Research Topics

I am conducting research in enzyme chemistry and environmental safety.
< Enzyme Chemistry >
Our research focuses on the functional and structural analysis of enzymes produced by drug-resistant bacteria, as well as the development of enzyme inhibitors and enzyme detection agents. Drug-resistant bacteria are a global problem, but like the environmental field, research in this area has lagged behind due to "market failure".
Additionally, I am interested in searching for rare genes that express novel enzyme functions and constructing protein libraries for drug discovery.
I am also a member of the Department of Materials and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, and the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, where I supervise undergraduate students (two students/year) and graduate students.
< Environmental Safety>
I am developing a system to support chemical substance management and am interested in the development of systems for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating accident and incident cases (near-miss cases). I am also interested in research on ICT-based education on environmental safety management and improving its effectiveness.

For more information, please see the website. » Yamaguchi Lab. http://yamaguchi-labo.jp

Major Results

Please visit the following link.
Kumamoto University Environmental Safety Center http://www.esc.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/activity/
Yamaguchi Lab. http://yamaguchi-labo.jp/
researchmap http://researchmap.jp/read0102551

Contact.

E-mail: yyamagu[at]gpo.kumamoto-u.ac.jp ([at] should be replaced with @)
Room: We are located on the first floor of an old two-story building (Environmental Safety Center) near the Liberal Arts Building and the College of Global Education in the Kurokami North area. If you need to see me, please contact me by email in advance.

Faculty (concurrently)
Safety Division
Name Fumiko Kawashima
Position Faculty of Advanced Sciencess and Technology (Engineering) Associate Professor Fields of Expertise  
Name Hajime Miyauchi
Position Faculty of Advanced Sciencess and Technology (Engineering) Associate Professor Fields of Expertise Power System Engineering, Power System Economics
Comment.

I joined the Environmental Safety Center as a concurrent faculty member in 2017. My specialty is electric power engineering, and even before I was appointed as a concurrent faculty member, I had been in charge of safety education for student experiments in the Department of Information, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Division, especially those involving strong electric systems. I have also been involved in the energy conservation activities of the entire university, and from now on, I would like to be involved in electrical safety as well. I would like to ask for your cooperation in any way possible.

Research Topics

< Power Systems Engineering >
・Distributed power sources such as photovoltaic power generation have been introduced in large numbers, but their output fluctuates greatly, and there are concerns that the reliability of the grid supply will be degraded. We are currently conducting research on stable power supply by comparing the supply reliability of distributed power sources and conventional generators.
・Demand forecasting is also an important issue. In particular, the output of photovoltaic power generation installed on the rooftops of private houses has become a negative load, making it impossible to measure the actual demand. Forecasting actual demand is also important to ensure that the generated power can meet the load during sudden changes in solar radiation and at night.
< Power System Economics >
・Investment in large-scale power generation involves risk. An evaluation method using expected utility theory has been proposed for evaluating business value that takes risk into account, and we are currently examining whether it can be applied to thermal power generation projects.

Major Results

Please visit the following link.
http://researchmap.jp/read0043469

Contact.

E-mail: miyauchi[at]cs.kumamoto-u.ac.jp ([at] should be replaced with @)
Faculty Room: Room 911, 9th floor, Faculty of Engineering Core Laboratory Building, Kurokami South District (Kurokami)

Environmental Division
Name Tadahisa Ohno
Position Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Law) Associate Professor Fields of Expertise Public economics
Research Topics
  1. (1) Theoretical study on fiscal policy in regional separation and integration
  2. (2) A theoretical study on environmental policy in an open economy
Major Results
  1. [1] Tadahisa Ohno, "The Effectiveness of Environmental Taxes in Open and Closed Economies," Journal of Regional Studies, Japan Association of Regional Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 167-180, 2014.
  2. [2] Akio Kawasaki, Tadahisa Ohno“Environmental Tax and Tariffs under the International Trade of Products”Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 174-188, 2014.
  3. [3] Tadahisa Ohno, "Cross-border pollution and privatization in an open economy," Annual Report of the Kyushu Economic Association, Kyushu Economic Association, Vol. 54, pp. 33-38, 2016.
Staff (concurrently)
Safety Support Office
Manager Takamasa Shimazu (Section manager, Facilities Management Division)
Masaaki Mitsuda (Deputy Manager, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Division)
Yoshimi Hayashida (Chief clerk, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Section) ※General Affairs
Takayuki Sakamoto (Chief Engineer, Engineering Department)
Kengo Katayama (Chief Engineer, Engineering Department)
Seiko Maeda (Administrative Assistant, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Division)
Kozue Hajime (Administrative Assistant, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Division)
Hideo Ikeda (Technical Assistant, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Division)
Environmental Support Office
Manager Takamasa Shimazu (Section manager, Facilities Management Division)
Masaaki Mitsuda (Deputy Manager, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Division)
Yoshimi Hayashida (Chief clerk, Safety and Health Management Team, Facilities Management Section)
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