Keynote Speech
Achim DOBERMANN is Deputy Director General for Research at the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), Philippines, and Director of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP). He provides strategic
leadership and oversight for IRRI’s research and outreach programs on genetic resources, biotechnology, rice
breeding, crop and natural resources management, climate change, socioeconomic and policy research,
information sharing and capacity building. He is recognized internationally as an expert on science and
technology for food security and sustainable management of the world’s major cereal cropping systems. Dr.
Dobermann has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific publications.
Concepci?n CALPE holds a MS in Economics from the University of Valencia (Spain) and a MA in
Economics from Boston University (USA). In 1983, she joined the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
an agency belonging to the United Nations family. At FAO, she has occupied various functions at the Trade
and Markets Division, working first on national cereal policies, and then monitoring developments in Eastern
Europe and the former USSR. Since 1998, she has headed the Rice and Roots and Tubers Group and has been
the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Group on Rice.
Marco WOPEREIS holds a PhD degree in tropical agronomy, Wageningen Univ., Netherlands. His expertise
is in leading and managing international agricultural research for development. He worked at the International
Rice Research Institute (Philippines), West Africa Rice Development Association(Senegal, C?te d’Ivoire),
International Center for Soil fertility and Agricultural Development(Togo) and the French Agricultural
Research Centre for International Development(France).Currently he is the Deputy Director General of the
AfricaRice Center, based in Benin.
Session 1
Yoshimichi FUKUTA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from the University of Okayama (Japan), and
is a Project leader for Research Project “Rice innovation for environmentally sustainable production systems” in
JIRCAS, and theInvited Professor of Tottori University, and University of Tsukuna, Japan.
His expertise is in the area of plant breeding of rice. He worked as a scientist at the former Hokuriku National
Agricultural Experimental Station, Jyoetsu, Niigata, Japan, form 1986 to 1999, as a senior scientist and plant
breeder seconded by MAFF of Japan,at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Banos, Laguna, the
Philippines, from 1999 to 2004, and as senior scientist and project leader at JIRCAS, Japan, scince 2005.

Parminder VIRK holds a doctorate degree in Plant Breeding from Punjab Agricultural University (India) and
is a Senior Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. His expertise is in the area of
irrigated rice breeding and application of genomic tools. He worked at the University of Birmingham in the
U.K. Currently he is leading GRiSP’s product on increasing the yield potential of rice using physiological and
genomic approaches.
Hiroshi KATO holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from the University of Tsukuba Japan. His expertise
is in the area of rice breeding. He worked at the NARO for 25 years. He worked for hybrid rice breeding, rice
blast, functional rice breeding and animal feed rice breeding. He was dispached to IRRI from 1998 to 1999
and to MARDI in Malaysia from 1994 to 1997.
Masahiro YANO holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from the Kyushu University (Japan). His expertise
is in the area of rice molecular genetics and breeding. He worked at the Hokuriku National Agricultural
Experimental Station, Japan, at the John Innes Centre in the U.K. and at the National Institute of
Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Tsukuba, Japan. Currently, he is a Director of AgriGenomics Research
Ce n t e r , NIAS a n d Prof e s sor in Gr ad ua t e Co ur s e of th e Tsuku ba Univ e r s i t y.
Hei LEUNG holds a Ph.D. degree in plant genetics and plant breeding at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
USA. His expertise is in disease resistance breeding and genetic diversity of rice. He was a professor of plant
pathology at Washington State University, USA and now appointed Adjunct Professor at Colorado State
University, USA. He is currently principal scientist at IRRI and serves as the program leader for Genetic
Diversity and Gene Discovery.
Matthias WISSUWA holds a Doctorate degree in Plant Sciences from the University of Arizona (USA) and
is a Senior Scientist at JIRCAS, while also serving as adjunct professor in the Department of Global
Agricultural Sciences at the University of Tokyo. His expertise is in the area of stress physiology and plant
breeding, focussing on understanding and improving phosphorus and zinc efficiency in rice.
Session 2
Naoya FUJIMOTO holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo (Japan) and is a
Project Leader of JIRCAS. His expertise is in the area of irrigation water management. He started his career as
a government officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan, and has worked overseas
as a first secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the P.R. of China, a long-term consultant to the World Bank in
USA and a principal researcher of IWMI in Sri Lanka.

Naoko OKA holds an undergraduate degree in Agriculture from Kyoto University (Japan) and is a researcher
of Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences. Her expertise is in the area of water
resources management for agriculture. She worked at Japan Green Resources Agency, and at Japan
International Cooperation Agency.
Hiroyuki KUBOTA holds a Master degree in Agriculture from the University of Hokkaido (Japan). He is an
Executive Advisor to DG Rural Dev. Dept, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and currently in charge of
food security related agenda including CARD initiative. He has served for JICATA projects (Tanzania and
Indonesia), the MoFA of Japan in ODA policy, World Bank (Rural dev. dept. and East Asia and Pacific
Region) and the board of EBRD before taking present post.
Takashi KUMASHIRO holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Kyoto University, Japan. His
specialized field is plant breeding and genetics. He worked for Japan Tobacco Inc, and Japan International
Center for Agricultural Sciences. Since June 2010, he is with Africa Rice Center, Cotonou, Benin, as a leader
of Genetic Diversity and Improvement Program.
Junichiro YAMADA holds a Master’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo, Japan and is a
Sub project leader of Rural Development Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural
Sciences (JIRCAS) currently. He worked for Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan as
Agricultural Engineer and also worked as the JICA long-term Expert of Agriculture in Malaysia and Sri
Lanka.
Jun-Ichi SAKAGAMI has graduated from Chiba University (Japan), and holds a Doctorate degree in
Agriculture. He has worked at Institut de Recherche pour Development, IRD (France). His expertise is the
area of crop science. He is sub-project leader of Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences.
Session 3
Takeshi KANO holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo (Japan). His expertise
is in the area of plant pathology. He worked at National Institute of Fruit Tree Science and at JIRCAS,
Research, Planning and Coordination Division. Currently, he is the Program Director (Stable Food
Production Program) of JIRCAS.
Seiji YANAGIHARA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Chiba University (Japan) and is a senior
researcher of Tropical Agricultural Research Front, JIRCAS, Japan. His expertise is in the area of rice
breeding and genetics. He used to work at IRRI, Philippine. Currently, he is serving as sub project leader in
the project “Development of rice production technologies in Africa”.

Qian QIAN holds a Doctorate degree in Agricultural genetics from Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences (CAAS) and is a Researcher of China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI). His expertise is in
the area of genetics and breeding in rice. He works always in CNRRI for identification of rice resources,
genetic analysis and gene design breeding. Also, he is the President of the State Key Laboratory of Rice
Biology, China.
Jagdish LADHA holds a Doctorate degree in Botany from the Jiwaji University (India) and is a Principal
Scientist (Soils/Agronomy) at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). He worked at the Banaras
University, India, University of Dundee, U.K., Cornell University, USA. Currently, he is the IRRI
Representative for India.
Toshihiro HASEGAWA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Kyoto University (Japan) is a senior
researcher of the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Japan. His exptise is the area of
envrironmental crop physiology. He worked at Kyushu Tokai Univserity, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Kazunobu TORIYAMA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Kyoto University (Japan) is the
Director of Crop, Livestock and Environment Division of JIRCAS. His expertise is in the area of soil and
fertilizer management of lowland rice. He worked at the Hokuriku National Agricultural Experiment Station,
Agricultural Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, National Agricultural Research Center, and at JIRCAS.
Panel Discussion
Masami YASUNAKA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Kyushu University (Japan) and is the
current Vice President of JIRCAS. His basic expertise is earthquake-resistant design of earth structures. He
had been engaged in governmental planning work in agricultural research in MAFF before coming to
JIRCAS.
Kazumi YAMAOKA graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1982, holding a Doctorate degree in
Agriculture from it. His expertise is in the area of rural engineering and water management. He worked at the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, at the Embassy of Japan in the Netherlands as First
Secretary, at Yamaguchi Prefectural Government as Director, at the Japanese Institute of Irrigation and
Drainage as Director, at the University of Tokyo as Professor of Graduate School of Agricultural and Life
Sciences. Currently, he is Research Coordinator of JIRCAS.
Shuichi ASANUMA holds a Doctorate degree in Agriculture from Nagoya University (Japan) and is a
Professor of International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Education (ICCAE), Nagoya University, Japan.
His expertise is in the field of soil microbiology. He worked at the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria, at Kyushu Tokai University, Hokkaido National Agricultural Experiment Station,

Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station and Japan International Research Center for Agricultural
Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan.
Hirohiko HIROCHIKA holds a Doctorate degree in Biology from Hiroshima University, Japan. His
expertise is in the area of molecular genetics and genomics of plants. He worked at Institute for Plant Virus
Research, Japan, at National Institute of Agrobiological Resources, Japan. Currently, he is the Vice President of
National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences.
Masa IWANAGA received his Ph.D. in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin,
USA in 1979. He was assigned to the President of JIRCAS in April 2011, after serving as the Director General
of the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
(NARO). He has a long career in CGIAR Centers, including the post of the Director General of the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico.
Hiroyuki KUBOTA
(See profile under Session 2)
Akihiko UCHIKAWA graduated from the University of Waseda, Faculty of Political Science and Economics
in 1988 and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the same year. He served as diplomat in Italy three times
when Italy held the G8 Summit meeting as G8 presidency. His areas of expertise include development
assistance (OECD DAC, CGIAR, UNDP etc), Africa, Oceania, arms control and disarmament and
international organized crime. He attended a number of international meetings and events in various official
capacities. He was seconded to MAFF in 2011 as Director, International Research Division, Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat (present post)．
Kazuyuki YAGI is a Principal Research Coordinator, the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences
(NIAES), Tsukuba, Japan. The task of his position is to coordinate research activities of the Institute, in
particular for international cooperation and climate change studies,
He received the doctor degree for soil science from Nagoya University in 1996 and has been studying on
emissions of greenhouse gases in association with different land use and agricultural management.
Tadakatsu YONEYAMA holds a Doctorate degree in Agricultural Chemistry from the University of Tokyo
and is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo. His expertise is in the area of plant nutrition. He
worked at IRRI, National Institute of Environmental Studies, National Institute of Agrobiological Resources,
National Agriculture Research Center, and the University of Tokyo. Currently, he is Senior vice-President of
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization.