Organizational Structure
RIHN is fundamentally a project-based institute, with projects alternating through a
5-7-year cycle. Identification of ideas for projects happens through public solicitation.
Through a process of evaluation and selection that includes “incubation” and“feasibility” stages, these ideas are gradually developed into fully-fledged projects
and only get officially underway after evaluation by an international external review
committee. At this point, the proponent joins the RIHN community by becoming a staff
member of the Institute. In most cases projects run for five years. They include a coreteam of researchers based at RIHN and a much larger network of partners at research
institutions throughout Japan and abroad.

RIHN Programs
RIHN research is organized into Programs and Projects rather than pre-existing
academic disciplines or domains. Three Research Programs and one Core Program
are each home to multiple projects that carry out research in line with the Program’s
broad direction. The bundling and integration of Projects within the Programs facilitates
synthesis of research results and allows for strategic planning of research. Programs aresubject to annual review by the External Research-Evaluation Committee (see RIHN
Project Trajectory on pages 6 & 7). RIHN endeavors to improve its research by making
good use of the review results while also respecting the independence of each Program.

5

Research Programs

Program 2: Fair use and management of diverse resources

Research Programs are organized around three themes

Taking tradeoffs into account, this program provides

identified in the Phase III Medium-Term Plan. In

multifaceted options to stakeholders involved inaddressing environmental problems, technological andproduction, distribution, and consumption of resources,

institutional developments are important, but RIHN

in order to realize fair use, optimal management, andrecognizes that these need to build on the foundation

wise governance of diverse natural resources includingof people’s awareness, value systems and culture. Theenergy, water and ecological resources.

programs collaborate closely with society in developing
and proposing options that contribute to the transition of

Program 3: Designing lifeworlds of sustainability andsociety.

wellbeing

Our “lifeworlds” are composed of the physical spaces
Program 1: Societal transformation under environmental

and socio-cultural spheres of our everyday lives. Theychangeare continually reproduced, reimagined, and evolving

This program aims at providing realistic perspectives

through an interactive and reflexive relationship withand options to facilitate the transition to a society thatsociety, culture, and nature. Program 3 proposes research

can flexibly respond to environmental changes caused

aimed at illuminating reciprocal linkages between

by human activities such as global warming and air

diverse rural and urban lifeworlds and contributing

pollution, as well as to natural disasters.

to the solution of sustainability problems by working
with various societal partners such as governments,companies, and citizen groups. Special emphasis isplaced on envisioning sustainable futures that improve
wellbeing and gauging their feasibility.

RIHN Project

Incubation Studies (IS) are proposed by individual researchers to the RIHN Project Review Task Committee. If approved,
the researcher is granted seed money to prepare a proposal for Feasibility Study.
Feasibility Studies (FS) allow the study leader a period to develop a proposal for Full Research.
In the transitional Pre-Research (PR) period, the project leader formally assembles the team, establishes MOUs necessaryfor collaboration with other institutions and makes other preparations to enable Full Research.
Full Research (FR) lasts from three to five years. It typically involves a research team at RIHN and concurrent activity
with collaborators overseas, several periods of field study, workshops and presentations, and outreach or communication
to relevant communities. FR projects are evaluated by the External Research Evaluation Committee at the beginning(selection) , mid-term and the end (final evaluation).

6

Core Program
Based on the mission of RIHN and in order to realize the strategies
and policies formulated by the Council for Research Strategy, the Core
Program undertakes research on an ongoing basis. During Phase III, theCore Program will develop concepts and methodologies to solve global
environmental problems in collaboration with society.

Core Project

RIHN Center
The RIHN Center provides the foundations for collaborative research
and activities at RIHN. Its five Divisions manage and operate thelaboratories and the information systems of the Institute, and facilitatecommunication, networking and capacity building. Center faculty also
engage in research in pursuing the goals of the Center. Collaboration isfundamental to the operation of the RIHN Center: it works closely with
the Core Program and Research Programs by providing tools, facilities
and methods. It also collaborates with the wider academic community
in support of RIHN’s role as a joint-use Inter-University Research Instituteand engages a broad range of societal stakeholders in problem-solving
research processes.
The RIHN Center consists of five divisions. The Laboratory and Analysis
Division develops and maintains the laboratory facilities necessary for
research and fieldwork. The Information Resources Division maintains
the RIHN research databases and archive. The Communication Divisiondevelops a variety of communication strategies linking RIHN research toacademic and public communities. The Collaboration Division facilitatesinternal and external research networking. The Future Earth Division
engages with the international Future Earth initiative and hosts theRegional Center for Future Earth in Asia.

7Project Index

8Full Research

FRResearch Program 1: Societal Transformation under Environmental Change

SUGIHARA Kaoru

10-11

Toward the Regeneration of Tropical Peatland Societies:
Building International Research Network on Paludiculture
and Sustainable Peatland Management

KOZAN Osamu

12-13

YOSHIDA Takehito

14-15

HAYASHIDA Sachiko

16-17

Research Program 2: Fair Use and Management of Diverse ResourcesHein MALLEE

18-19

Mapping the Environmental Impact Footprint of Cities,
Companies, and Households

KANEMOTO Keiichiro 20-21

Research Fields : Indonesia, Malaysia

Research and Social Implementation of Ecosystem-based
Disaster Risk Reduction as Climate Change Adaptation inShrinking Societies
Research Field : Japan

An Interdisciplinary Study toward Clean Air, Public Healthand Sustainable Agriculture: The Case of Crop Residue
Burning in North India
Research Fields : North India

Research Fields : World

Research Program 3: Designing Lifeworlds of Sustainability and Wellbeing

SAIJO Tatsuyoshi

22-23

Lifeworlds of Sustainable Food Consumption and Production:Agrifood Systems in Transition

Steven R. McGREEVY

24-25

YAMAUCHI Taro26-27

Research Fields : Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, China

The Sanitation Value Chain: Designing Sanitation Systems as
Eco-Community-Value System
Research Fields : Zambia, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Japan

Co-creation of Sustainable Regional Innovation for Reducing
Risk of High-impact Environmental Pollution

SAKAKIBARA Masayuki 28-29

Research Fields : Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, ASEAN countries

Core Program

TANIGUCHI Makoto

30

Information Asymmetry Reduction in Open Team Science forSocio-environmental Cases

KONDO Yasuhisa

31

ONISHI Yuko32

Research Field : Japan

Methods and Tactics to Foster Knowledge Co-creation: A
Practical Framework for Implementing TransdisciplinaryResearchResearch Field : Global9