After receiving his bachelor’s degree in English language from Kyorin University, he went to Central Michigan University to study TESOL for his Master’s degree. There, while completing his degree, he became interested in the relationship between grammar and phonology, and he later obtained his PhD from York University, Canada. His research interests include the relationship between systemic phonology, thematic development in English texts, paragraphing from a systemic functional perspective, and human–bonobo discourse.