IRG56 Local Organising Committee

Makoto has been a member of SPC since 2023 and is Chairperson of the IRG56 LOC held in Yokohama, Japan. He is a professor and vice-president for international affairs at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan. He is interested in the biology of wood rotting fungi, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of wood decay process by the fungi.

Hiroshi is IRG56 LOC vice Chairperson. After joining IRG meetings several times as a non-member, Hiroshi became an IRG member and officially part of the IRG Family since 2008, and a past EC member (2020-2024). He is currently Chief of Wood Protection Lab of FFPRI (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute) in Tsukuba since 2017. See his bio.

Yoshio is Managing Director & Secretary General of JWPA in Japan. Yoshio joined JWPA on Feb., 2023 after completing works at Crop Protection company (Nihon Nohyaku Co, Ltd.) as mostly Researcher, Overseas Sales & Marketing, representative and Supply Chain manager for 38 years after graduating Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology in 1985. Loves all outdoor activities, especially Triathlon.

Yoshiaki is currently serving as a researcher at Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute. He graduated from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology with a PhD. His research has been focusing on microbial enzymes and filamentous fungi.

Yoshikazu has been an Assistant Professor at the Nihon University, College of Bioresource Sciences. He graduated from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology with a PhD in Polymer Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. His research has been in polymer chemistry to improve the durability of wood materials. Yoshikazu is currently also focused on microbial degradation of lignocellulosic biomass.

Yuka has been a member of CC since 2024. She is an Assistant Professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology since 2024. She has a PhD from the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, at the same university. Her research focuses on the wood decay mechanism by wood-rotting fungi, with expertise in the functional analysis of enzymes produced by wood-rotting fungi.

Kenta is a senior researcher in Katayama Chemical Inc. an industrial chemical manufacturer. He graduated from Kindai University in 2007 after researching about the wood decay mechanism with white-rot fungi. Currently he creates wood preservatives for wood-decay fungus, termites and molds in his company.

General Manager of the Technology Development Department of Ｘyence Corporation. Graduated from the Graduate School of Agriculture, Tottori University. Since joining the company, he has been mainly engaged in the research and development of wood preservation and treatment methods.

Research & Development Division of Koshii Preserving Co., Ltd. Graduated from the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kinki University. Since joining the company, he has been involved in the development and commercialization of wood preservatives.