Earth System Sustainability Assessment Research Group

ABOUT US

　Our research group consists of researchers specializing in geochemistry, petrology and mineralogy, risk science, social sciences, and other fields. With this diverse group of members, we are advancing research on geosphere sustainability.
　We conduct research on environmental risk assessment—including geothermal energy, abandoned mines, soil contamination, the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and environmental pollution caused by waste—as well as the development and standardization of testing methods, environmental restoration activities, environmental dynamics assessment, communication, and sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) assessment.
　Our fundamental philosophy is not only to produce valuable research outcomes (papers, conference presentations, patents) as a research institution regarding these research topics, but also to respond to requests from outside AIST with an eye toward standardization and practical application, and to promote the dissemination and popularization of highly accurate research findings.

View Past List ▶

Announcements

December 26, 2025: Workshop Announcement
We have posted a report on the workshop held on December 13, which involved participating in the 3rd Village Prayer Ceremony in the Koriyama District of Futaba Town and creating a local magazine.
[ Click here for the PDF file ]
[ Click here for the report on the website ]
December 26, 2025: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper by Mr. Suzuki and Group Leader Yasutaka, titled “Characteristics of PFAS Risk Assessment from the Perspective of the Rationale for Drafting Proposed Standards Under the U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Act Class I Drinking Water Rule,” has been published in the Journal of Risk Science.
[ Here ]
November 6, 2025: Seminar Announcement
On Thursday, November 6, at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Central Office, we held the “16th Terrestrial Sustainability Assessment Seminar: [Current Status of Soil Contamination Countermeasures in France and the Current Status of Environmental Measures for Disused and Abandoned Mines in Japan].”
[ Click here ]
October 15, 2025: Award Announcement
Researcher Takada and Group Leader Hotaka received the [Best Poster Presentation Award at the 14th Conference on Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Research].
Researcher Takada, Group Leader Hotaka, and Mr. Takeda received the [Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the 14th Conference on Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Research].
[ Click here ]
June 27, 2025: Announcement of the Online Publication of “Memories of Oaza Shimo-Hatori”
“Memories of Shimo-Hatori,” published as part of the Environmental Comprehensive Promotion Fund SⅡ-9-3 project, is now available online. [ Here ]
June 26, 2025: Announcement of Award
Mr. Takeda received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the “30th Symposium on Groundwater and Soil Contamination and Their Prevention Measures.”
January 29, 2025: Seminar Announcement
On Wednesday, March 19, at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Central Campus, Building 7, Room 531, we will hold the “15th Geosphere Environmental Assessment Research Seminar [Effective Utilization and Final Disposal through Waste Stabilization Treatment].”
[ Click here ]
January 22, 2025: Seminar Announcement
Wednesday, January 22, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Central Campus, Building 7, Room 531 We are pleased to welcome Mr. Nobuhiko Shigyo, a researcher in the Site Environment Research Division at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, to deliver a lecture titled “The 14th Geosphere Environmental Assessment Research Seminar: [Soil Microbial Diversity in Forests].”
December 12, 2024: Notice of Publication
A paper by Researcher Nishikata, Group Leader Hotaka, and others titled “Unveiling the potential mobility and geochemical speciation of geogenic arsenic in the deep subsurface soil of the Tokyo metropolitan area” has been published in the *Journal of Hazardous Materials*.
[ Here ]
December 12, 2024: Press Release
Mechanism Elucidated for the Leaching of Naturally Occurring Arsenic from the Yurakucho Formation, Which Forms the Bedrock of Tokyo’s Shitamachi District
[ AIST Website ]
November 21, 2024: Seminar Announcement
On Tuesday, December 23, the “2nd Young Researchers’ Seminar on Soil Contamination Risk Assessment—Risk Assessment and Communication” will be held in the Large Conference Room on the 10th floor of the AIST Annex at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
[ Click here ]
November 20, 2024: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper by Researcher Tum, Researcher Nishikata, Group Leader Yasutaka, and others titled “Geochemical insights and model optimization for pilot-scale passive treatment of manganese and zinc in a legacy mine in Japan” has been published in Heliyon.
[ Here ]
November 20, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Group Leader Yasutaka and colleagues titled “Wind velocity and dispersion/advection–diffusion of artificial droplets and droplet nuclei in a domed all-weather multi-purpose stadium” has been published in Scientific Reports.
[ Here ]
November 20, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Group Leader Yasutaka and colleagues titled “Development of an evaluation method for radiocesium availability in soil using a biomimetic approach” has been published in Radiation Protection Dosimetry.
[ Here ]
November 20, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Researcher Takada, Visiting Researcher Shirai, Group Leader Yasutaka, and others titled “Exploring the differences and influencing factors between top-down and opinion-reflective approaches regarding public acceptance of final disposal of soils removed after the Fukushima nuclear accident” has been published in Radiation Protection Dosimetry.
[ Here ]
November 5, 2024: Award Announcement
Mr. Takeda, Researcher Takada, and Group Leader Yasutaka received the [Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at the 13th Conference on Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Research].
Researcher Takada, Group Leader Hotaka, and Kaoru Suzuki received the [Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the 13th Conference on Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Research].
[ Click here ]
October 1, 2024: Seminar Announcement
Tuesday, October 1, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Central Campus, Group 7, Annex Building, 2nd Floor The “12th Terrestrial Environment Assessment Research Seminar [Social Psychology of Conflict]” will be held in the Large Conference Room.
[ Click here ]
September 13, 2024: Announcement of Published Papers
A paper by Principal Researcher Saishu, Researcher Takada, Group Leader Hotaka, and others titled “Understanding the latent needs of diverse stakeholders unfamiliar with geothermal energy” has been published in Geothermics.
[ Here ]
August 1, 2024: Seminar Announcement
Thursday, August 1 – Friday, August 2, at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Central Office We will hold the “11th Terrestrial Environment Assessment Research Seminar [Hokkaido University Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, AIST Site Visit].”
[ Click here ]
July 29, 2024: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper co-authored by Group Leader Yasutaka , titled “Factors influencing parental COVID-19 vaccination willingness for children in Japan,” has been published in Vaccine: X.
[ Here ]
July 8, 2024: Notice of Report Publication
A report by Mr. Fujita and Group Leader Hotaka titled “The Researcher Collaboration System ‘Ask AnyOne’: Design, Implementation, and Future Prospects” has been published in the Geological Survey Research Reports.
[ Here ]
July 4, 2024: Press Release
Successful Development of a Microbial-Based Mine Wastewater Treatment System —Utilizing a New Bacterial Mechanism for Manganese Oxidation—
[ AIST Website ]
June 20, 2024: Notice of Published Article
An editorial by Group Leader Yasutaka, Visiting Researcher Murakami, Researcher Takada, Visiting Researcher Shirai, and Visiting Researcher Awata titled “Report on a Planned Session: Survey on Social Acceptance for the Final Disposal of Remediated Soil Outside the Prefecture—Key Findings from Research Funded by the Comprehensive Environmental Promotion Fund” has been published in the Journal of Risk Studies.
[ Here ]
June 19, 2024: Notice of Paper Publication
A paper co-authored by Group Leader Yasutaka, titled “Component separation and origin estimation of mining-influenced water based on fluoride ions and water isotopes in an underground legacy mine, Central Japan,” has been published in the *Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies*.
[ Here ]
June 19, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Visiting Researcher Murakami and Group Leader Hotaka titled “Trust in governments, public health institutions, and other information sources as determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake behavior in Japan” has been published in *Vaccine*.
[ Here ]
June 5, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper co-authored by Group Leader Yasutaka , titled “Effects of batch and continuous-flow operation on biotreatment of Mn(II)-containing mine drainage,” has been published in the Journal of Environmental Sciences.
[ Here ]
June 5, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Mr. Louis, Researcher Takada, and Group Leader Hotaka titled “Comparative qualitative and quantitative analysis of guidelines for nuclear accident recovery” has been published in *Radioprotection*.
[ Here ]
June 5, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Researcher Tsuchiyama and Group Leader Hotaka titled “Vegetation at the former open-pit Ningyo-toge mine, 36 years after closure treatment: Impact of soil cover on woody plant establishment and dominance of the perennial herb Miscanthus sinensis” has been published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
[ Here ]
May 30, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Researcher Takada, Ms. Suzuki, and Group Leader Yasutaka titled “Key Factors in Public Acceptance of Volume Reduction for Removed Soil and Other Materials” has been published in the Journal of the Society for Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination.
[ Here ]
May 13, 2024: Notice of Paper Publication
Researcher Takada’s paper , “Temporal changes in cumulative mortality risks of cancer, by occupation, in the working population of Japan from 1995 to 2020: a benchmark for radiation risk comparison,” has been published in the Journal of Radiological Protection.
[ Here ]
May 13, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
Researcher Takada’s paper , “Comparison of lifetime mortality risk, incidence risk, and DALYs of baseline cancer rates among countries as a benchmark for radiation-related cancer risk,” has been published in the *Journal of Radiological Protection*.
[ Here ]
April 2, 2024: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper by Group Leader Yasutaka, Mr. Fujita, and Visiting Researcher Murakami titled “Assessment of COVID-19 Infection Risks at Graduation and Entrance Ceremonies” has been published in the Journal of Risk Studies.
[ Here ]
March 14, 2024: Seminar Announcement
On Wednesday, March 13, we held the “10th Terrestrial Environment Assessment Research Seminar: Current Status and Trends in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services” online.
[ Click here ]
February 7, 2024: Seminar Announcement
On Monday, March 25, we will hold the “9th Terrestrial Environment Assessment Research Seminar Workshop on the Standardization of JIS A 1231 Upflow Column Permeation Tests and Elution/Adsorption Tests” at AIST Tsukuba Central Complex, Building 7.
[ Click here ]
February 2, 2024: Announcement of Published Papers
A paper by Researcher Takada, Visiting Researcher Murakami, and Group Leader Yasutaka titled “Public Attitudes toward the Final Disposal of Radioactively Contaminated Soil Resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident” has been published in *Environmental Management*.
[ Here ]
January 17, 2024: Announcement Regarding the Online Publication of “The History of Hosoya”
As a result of the Comprehensive Environmental Promotion Fund (SⅡ-9-3), we have made the “History of Hosoya,” published last fiscal year, available online. [ Click here ]
January 11, 2024: Report Released on the Second International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Expert Meeting on the Reuse of Remediated Soil
A summary has been released of the 2nd International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Expert Meeting on the Reuse of Remediated Soil, which Group Leader Hotaka attended as a Japanese expert last October. Group Leader Hotaka provided information and participated in discussions on communication and public acceptance.
January 4, 2024: Seminar Announcement
On Thursday, March 11, the “8th Geosphere Environmental Assessment Research Seminar: Soil Contamination Risk Assessment—Young Researchers’ Seminar” will be held at AIST’s Tokyo Headquarters.
[ Click here ]
November 27, 2023: Award Announcement
Research Assistant Yutaro Takahashi received the [Outstanding Poster Award at the 2023 Kanto Branch Conference of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition].
October 29, 2023: Award Announcement
Researcher Momo Takada received the [Japan Society for Risk Science Encouragement Award]. This recognition honors her contributions in the field of risks arising from nuclear disasters, with a focus on the geosphere environment.
[ Click here ]
October 27, 2023: Award Announcement
12th Symposium on Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Research: Outstanding Presentation Award We received two Outstanding Poster Awards.
“Pros and Cons of the Policy on Final Disposal Outside the Prefecture (2): An Interview Survey”
“Analysis of the Influence of Geographical Conditions on the Decay of Air Dose Rates in Forests within Former Nuclear Disaster Evacuation Zones”
Researcher Takada and Group Leader Hotaka are the authors.
[ Here ]
October 20, 2023: Publication Announcement
An article titled “A Comprehensive Overview of Lessons and Prospects for Risk Governance: Discussing the Present from Fukushima” (co-authored), reporting on the 36th Spring Symposium of the Japan Society for Risk Management—at which Group Leader Yasutaka delivered a presentation—has been published in the Journal of the Japan Society for Risk Management.
[ Here ]
October 20, 2023: Seminar Announcement
The 7th Terrestrial Environment Assessment Research Seminar will be held on Thursday, November 2, at AIST’s Tokyo Headquarters.
[ Click here ]
October 6, 2023: Announcement of Published Paper
Researcher Takada’s paper , “Radiation doses to non-human species after the Fukushima accident and comparison with ICRP’s DCRLs: A systematic qualitative review,” has been published in *Radioprotection*
[ Here ]
September 13, 2023: Media Coverage
Following their presentation at the Decontamination Conference held at the end of August, Group Leader Hotaka and Researcher Takada were interviewed by NHK Fukushima, and the segment has now aired.
[ Here ]
September 13, 2023: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper co-authored by Researcher Takada, Ms. Kanai, Group Leader Hotaka, and Ms. Kuroda (National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology: previously a postdoctoral fellow at AIST) has been published in the *Journal of Radiological Protection*
[ Here ]
August 16, 2023: Press Release
The Oji-Hosoya project, funded under the Comprehensive Environmental Promotion Fund SⅡ-9-3 and led by Mr. Kanai, RA Sakahara, Researcher Takada, Mr. Igarashi, Mr. Fujii, and Group Leader Yasutaka, was featured in the Yomiuri Shimbun.
[ Here ]
August 2, 2023: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper titled “Post-traumatic growth caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and response to coronavirus disease 2019,” with Mr. Kawashima of Fukushima Medical University as the first author and Group Leader Hotaka as a co-author, has been published in the *International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction*.
[ Here ]
August 2, 2023: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper titled “Factors influencing acceptability of final disposal of incinerated ash and decontaminated soil from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident,” co-authored by Visiting Researcher Shirai (first author), Group Leader Hotaka, and Researcher Takada, has been published in the *Journal of Environmental Management*.
[ Here ]
July 13, 2023: Announcement of Paper Publication
A paper co-authored by Group Leader Yasutaka , titled “Quantifying the effect of isolation and negative certification on COVID-19 transmission,” has been published in Scientific Reports.
[ Here ]
June 7, 2023: Lecture Announcement
Group Leader Hotaka will deliver a presentation titled “Initiatives Toward the Sustainable Management and Disposal of Remediated Soil and Other Materials —From Environmental, Economic, and Social Perspectives—” at the Japan Society for Risk Science’s 2023 Annual Spring Symposium (36th).
[ Click here ]
June 1, 2023: Notice of Published Paper
A paper by Group Leader Yasutaka titled “Inference on the Mechanism of Acidification within Road Embankments Using Neogene Sandstone Containing Pyrite” has been published in the Journal of Geotechnical Engineering.
[ Here ]
April 7, 2023: Award Announcement
Dr. Yasutaka, Head of the Yasutaka Research Group, received the Reiwa 5 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (Science and Technology Award – Science and Technology Promotion Category).
[ Click here ]
April 6, 2023: Announcement of Published Paper
A paper by Tum (Special Research Fellow), Nishikata (Research Fellow), and Group Leader Yasutaka titled “Assessment of seasonal changes in groundwater quality of waste rock dump in a temperate continental climate, northern Japan” has been published in *Chemosphere*.
[ Here ]
April 6, 2023: Announcement of Review Article Publication
A review paper by Research Group Leader Yasutaka and Visiting Researcher Murakami titled “COVID-19 infection risk assessment and management at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games: A scoping review” has been published in the *Journal of Infection and Public Health*.
[ Here ]
April 6, 2023: Award Announcement
Dr. Yasutaka, Head of the Yasutaka Research Group, received the AIST President’s Award (Research) for FY2022 for “Development and Commercialization of Environmental Remediation Technology Using Prussian Blue.”
[ Click here ]