President's Greeting

The National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) was established in 1974 as the sole research institute for integrated, interdisciplinary research in the broad fields of environmental research to provide the scientific and technical basis for the environmental policy-making administration. We have advanced research in these fields, while maintaining a pride and awareness of our responsibility as a group of experts who contribute to both domestic and international policy, and disseminating appropriate information towards the solution of environmental issues.

The issues with which we are faced have transitioned from past issues of extreme pollution in particular regions to long-term global scale issues originating from human actives - such as global warming, material cycles society, and the deterioration of ecosystems. In addition, the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 has given rise to new research topics relating to, for example, countermeasures for disaster waste and radioactive substances released into the environment, which are being undertaken towards the goals of regional restoration and environmental creation for the disaster zone.

In these particular circumstances, we must further strengthen our role as a leading environmental research institute engaged in research which contributes to the environmental administration and increases our contributions as a policy-making organization.

To facilitate the implementation of both environmental research with long-term continuity prospects and issue-driven research, we designated the eight fundamental research fields and corresponding research centers which will be responsible for research in these fields under our third five-year plan (2011-2015). This research is being implemented under our designated research programs.

Moreover, in order to respond to and recover from environmental contamination originating from the disaster, we have maintained strategic activities since the direct aftermath of the disaster as “Research on Disaster Environment”. The intermediate outcomes of this research have been summarized as “An Overview of Research on Disaster Environment and associated Outcomes”, and will soon be made available on the NIES homepage.

Also, in March 2013, we revised our five-year plan following a directive by the Minister of the Environment to modify our mid-term objectives such that we might better strive to progress research relating to disasters and the environment in an integrated and holistic manner. We will continue to provide our scientific know-how as a basis for environmental policy, and to optimize our outcomes and improve our research capacities - including dealing with environmental issues caused by radioactive substances. As such, we ask for your continued and gracious support in our endeavors to improve our activities towards these ends, so that we can effectively respond to societal needs.

SUMI, Akimasa, D.Sc.
President