In Japan, fossils of small mammals, such as those the size of mice or moles, are rarely found in older geological strata. This scarcity is largely due to the fact that fossil searches for small mammals have primarily focused on sediments accumulated in limestone fissures or caves, which are uncommon in strata older than 800,000 years. As a result, discoveries of small mammals from these earlier periods have been limited. Using new methods, I have successfully extracted small mammal fossils from strata dating back 3.5 million and 26 million years. My work contributes new insights into Japan’s fossil mammal record, which has traditionally been dominated by reports of large mammals such as elephants and deer, and aims to shed light on transitions in mammalian fauna across East Asia.

Bone histology is the study of bone function and growth by sectioning bones into thin slices to visualize internal tissues. This technique has proven instrumental in uncovering the physiology and ecology of extinct animals, providing insights into their growth rate, age, metabolism, and degree of aquatic adaptation — factors that were previously challenging to reconstruct. My research focuses on employing bone histology to explore the life and adaptive processes of large vertebrates, such as dinosaurs and mammals. Specifically, I aim to uncover what factors influenced these creatures to evolve into giants or diminutive forms and how terrestrial vertebrates altered their physiology and bone structure to successfully readapt to aquatic environments.

Animal bones typically contain growth marks, similar to those of tree rings. Previous studies have utilized these marks to reconstruct the growth of extinct animals, especially dinosaurs, and further investigate their physiology and ecology. Using specimens and data that I have collected through fieldwork and museum visits all over the world, I hope to contribute to our understanding of the link between life histories of fossil animals and macroevolutionary patterns.

[Health promotion and lifelong sports]
The important thing is to keep exercising. Sports are also important from the perspective of release stress and mental health. Wearable devices have made it possible to measure heart rate and walking distance during exercise. I promote research that contributes to health promotion and lifelong sports.
[Choice reaction time and performance]
The study of choice tasks leads to improved sports performance. The study of reaction time improved prevent accidents. I am studying reaction time and selection tasks.
[Environmental temperature and physiological stress]
Physiological stress during exercise in a hot or cold environment is evaluated using indices such as heart rate and body temperature. I am studying against heatstroke and prevention of hypothermia.

Among infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, we are studying zoonoses, which are infectious diseases between animals and humans. In recent years, with the increasing distance between animals and humans and the improvement of diagnostic techniques for pathogenic microorganisms, it has become clear that a variety of zoonoses exist in the world and pose a significant threat to us and human society. Our research contributes to the prevention and control of these zoonotic diseases by clarifying how these pathogenic microorganisms are actually maintained in the field and the degree of risk they pose to humans and animals. We also conduct molecular biological studies using actual pathogens and various types of cultured cells to evaluate pathogenicity and elucidate the mechanisms of pathogen transmission.

We mainly conduct research related to environmental health. We are working on microorganisms, viruses, contaminants, etc. that exist in water and soil. We also aim to search for useful microorganisms that can contribute to solving environmental problems. We also conduct research using epidemiological and informatic methods.

Changes in the global environments have increased incidence of infectious diseases. Most of these diseases are zoonoses which are transmitted from animals to humans. It is an urgent task to control and prevent of zoonotic disease outbreaks. However, it is not simple and straightforward, since the natural reservoir animals and the transmission routes of the causative agents are not elucidate in all zoonoses. From a glocal perspective, the objective of this project is to forestalling outbreaks of zoonotic infection on the basis of epidemiological investigations in Shikoku.
Host specificity of infectious agents are interested because the mechanism is different for each infectious agent. Adenoviruses are believed to be co-evolved with their specific hosts, and usually infect one particular or several, closely related host species. However, certain bat　adenoviruses exhibited a broad range of in vitro cell tropism. We try to elucidate its host-range determinants.

I aim to understand and evaluate the physical and mental conditions of livestock animals from the viewpoints of physiology and behavior, and to construct a rearing environment in which livestock animals can maximize their potential. In particular, we are conducting research on the effects of temperature on livestock animals and examining ways to supply healthy, safe, and high-quality livestock products to people even under climate change caused by global warming.

In order to conduct animal experiments with due consideration for animal welfare, we are improving to improve experimental techniques and management methods for experimental animals, and the breeding environment. Since we humans and animals can only communicate non-verbally, we are interested in assessing the needs of animals. We are studying pain assessment and temperature management in postoperative mice by setting up an environment that is selective for the animals.
We also view dog walking as a “joint activity between owner and dog,” and research the health promotion of dogs and their owners through dog walking. Dog walking have been reported to have a positive effects on the physical and mental health of dogs and their owners. We are currently researching heat stroke prevention for dog owners and dogs during dog walking from the perspective of safe health promotion.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the major causative diseases for dementia. Characteristic AD pathology, such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, are observed in aged animal brains, suggesting that AD pathology would be the sign of brain aging. Zoobiquity is an approach to investigate and treat diseases without any distinction of species. I have been working on the studies to clarify the mechanism of brain aging and the pathogenesis of AD by using nonhuman primates. I am also interested in how neuronal activities affect membrane traffic system in neural cells.

My research interests are in the origin and evolution of life on Earth in the 4.6 billion-years geological records; particularly the evolution of eukaryotes and multicellular animals. I am trying to clarify the environmental changes across these evolutions, based on the geological fieldworks in UK, China, Gabon, Mongolia, etc., the stratigraphic reconstructions (lithogy, fossils, age determination), and the paleoenvironmental reconstructions (chemical analyes). I am also developing teaching materials for geoscience education using VR technology.

In metal complexes, the metal ion and ligands bind together in specific arrangements or shapes, forming a stable structure as a unified compound. Through these interactions, metal complexes can exhibit new functional properties that were not observed in the individual metal ions.

Recently, we have been synthesizing porphyrin derivatives containing metal ions at their centers and using these complexes as catalysts to explore oxidation reactions using only oxygen molecules from the air and light.

We aim to contribute to the development of the wine industries and education, through our research.
Research and invstigation into wine, Japanese sake, fruits and functional foods. Invesigation of volatile compaounds in wine and its produvtion mechanisms. Especially, advanced analysis and evaluation of wine.Wine has favorable and characteristic flavor. We indentify the characteristic compounds in wine and investigate their production mechanisms.
Wine have multiple health functionalities since it is a fermented material. We investigate the health functionality of wine and fermented foods in vitro.And, we investigate the health functinalities of functinal components fermented foods.

Most of the reserch on grape is about table grapes in Japan. Because wine grapes are not cultivated so much before. However, recently many wine grapes have been cultivated, and high quality wines are produced in several wineries in Japan. Until now engineers in wine makers have studies in the wine developped countries such as France and brought back the wine making techniques to Japan. But, Japanese climate and soil type are quite different from those of foreign countries. Then it is required to the Japanese original techniques in viticulture and enology. It is the most important thing in wine making that wine grapes are cultivated by the suitable conditions in Japan. Our institute of viticulture and enology aims to be a base for technology and information for engineers in wineries of the surrounding ares.