4. Research staff profile
Okinawa Churashima Foundation RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Research on subtropical plants

Research staff profile

Atsushi Abe

Atsushi Abe

(Manager, Botanical Laboratory)

Area of
expertise		 Forest ecology
Research
content		 Research study on endangered plants of Okinawa
Flora of Iriomote Islands
米倉 浩司

Koji Yonekura, Ph.D.

(Senior Researcher, Botanical Laboratory)

Area of
expertise		 Taxonomy and phytogeography of vascular plants
Research
content		 Research studies of biodiversity of vascular plants throughout East Asia (taxonomy, constructing database involving scientific and vernacular names, historical survey of taxonomic and / or floristic researches, long-term monitoring of spreading / decreasing of alien plants), floristic studies of Nansei Islands, e.g. Isl. iriomote.
Haruki Sunagawa

Haruki Sunagawa, Ph.D.

(Chief, Botanical Laboratory)

Area of
expertise		 Tropical Horticultural Science, Crop Physiology
Research
content		 Development of high-quality and high-yield production techniques for traditional vegetable and traditional craft crop in Ryukyu archipelago.
Collection of genetic resource, elucidation of physiological and ecological characteristics and selection of superior lines of low-utilized and uneconomically cultivated indigenous crop in Ryukyu archipelago.
Development of economical cultivation techniques for profitable tropical horticultural crops in Ryukyu archipelago.
Toshitsugu Nohara

Toshitsugu Nohara

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Agricultural chemistry
Research
content		 Studies on functionality and utilization of subtropical resources
辻本 悟志

Satoshi Tsujimoto

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Forest Pathology
Research
content		 Study on interaction with tree species and hoarding rodents
Study on forest pathology about greening tree species
kazuma

Kohei Kazuma, Ph.D.

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Natural product chemistry, pharmacognosy, plant chemistry, and bioresources science.
Research
content		 Exploration of plants and animals for medicinal and functional food use, and exploratory research on their functional chemical components.
Research on chemical structures of plant pigments and their biosynthetic pathways.
Tomoko Matsubara

Ken Tokuhara, Ph.D.

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Plant Cell Biotechnology
Research
content		 Establishments of virus-free plants using tissue culture in tropical plants
Conservation and propagation of indigenous and endemic plants in Okinawa using tissue culture

Concurrent post

Koya Minemoto

Koya Minemoto

(Senior Researcher)

Area of
expertise		 Horticultural crop science
Research
content		 Research study on Tropical plants and fruits
Hiroyuki Sato

Hiroyuki Sato

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Horticulture, Plant Breeding
Research
content		 Development of ex-situ conservation techniques of endangered plant species
Creation of floricultural gardening species utilizing wild plants of Okinawa
Study on massive production of useful plants
Tomoko Matsubara

Tomoko Matsubara, Ph.D.

(Research Scientist)

Area of
expertise		 Pomology, Mycorrhizal fungi
Research
content		 Mechanism of symbiosis between mycorrhizal fungi and pants
Utilization of mycorrhizal fungi for sustainable agriculture

PAGE TOP