What motivated you to pursue international agriculture, forestry, and fisheries research?

　I have been interested in classes related to international exchange since I was a student. Immediately after entering graduate school, I was helped by a foreign student from Inner Mongolia, China, and through frequent visits to that region to conduct rural surveys and other activities, I came to love China at that time. I think the International Agricultural Research Institute is an attractive place to work because it allows me to make use of my expertise while at the same time allowing me to work with a light footwork in foreign countries.

Please introduce your current research.

　Using statistical data on global food supply and demand, I am attempting to capture long-term trends in nutrient supply in various countries. I am also studying the impact on the corn market in the Mekong countries (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam) of the expansion of the distribution of the transboundary pest, the Japanese knotweed, which has attracted global attention in recent years, and the development of control technology for this pest.

What message would you like to convey to young researchers?

　My message is from the perspective of gender equality at JIRCAS. When my wife gave birth, I took several months of childcare leave (childcare leave) and paid leave. The effort that a woman puts into caring for a baby is very hard. I believe that young male researchers can lighten this burden and gain something by taking advantage of systems such as childcare leave.
　I would like to inform young female researchers that even if they take some longer leave for childbirth or childcare, the way is open for them to return to the world of research afterwards.