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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Rakuno Gakuen University Department of Vetinary Medicine, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, and Department of Environmental and Symbiotic Science

Environmental assessment project supporting disaster area reconstruction

Activity grant

Project Description
The environment in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, is being damaged by sludge. This project aims to reduce health risks faced by victims in disater areas by sampling sludge, water, flies, and mosquitos from 13 sites within the city and testing them for hazardous substances, such as chemical agents, heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses. This summer it will carry out urgent short-term analysis to assess the risk of damage and infections from hazardous substances and make recommendations to the goverment regarding the removal of elements that propose a high health risk. Over the long term it will carry out at least five research surveys over three seasons (this summer, winter, and next summer) and imput the data into a satellite information mapping system developed by the university to create a user-friendly database containing a range of disaster-related information.
Fields
Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2011 Activity Grants
Grant term
1 year and 3 months
July 2011 - September 2012
Grant amount
4,466,000 yen
Activity region
Coastal disaster areas in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Sampling sludge from a vacant site within a residential area

Overview of the Organization

Yu Tamura, Head of Veterinary Medicine
Representative
Yu Tamura, Head of Veterinary Medicine
Establishment
1933 (Incorporated educational institution), 1960 (university)
Purpose of establishment
Founder Torizo Kurosawa considered dairy farming to be the most important industry for developing a country and using the development of Denmark as an ideal, he established the university based on the 'tri-love' human approach to education. Rooted in Christianity, tri-love encompasses love of God, love of humans, and love of the earth, and looks to cultivate healthy, decent young adults with a rich sense of humanity and an international outlook. Through practical education based on tri-love and the philosophy that, 'a healthy earth ensures human health,' it is working to nurture creative and practical professionals who have a solid understanding of what agriculture and farmers should be.
Main areas of activity
Japan
Staff
315 full-time staff members
Annual operating budget
8,056.42 million yen in 2008, 8,010.08 million yen in 2009, 7,838.9 million yen in 2010
WEB site
http://www.rakuno.ac.jp
Collaborating organizations
  • (1) Parcic,
  • (2) APCAS,
  • (3) Ishinomaki Kankyo Net
Joint researchers
Hidetomo Iwano, Associate Professor, Rakuno Gakuen University; Hidetoshi Higuchi, Associate Professor, Rakuno Gakuen University; Hiroki Inoue, Associate Professor, Rakuno Gakuen University; Kohei Makita, Associate Professor, Rakuno Gakuen University; Hiroshi Yokota, Professor, Rakuno Gakuen University; and 15 others
Main activities
Advancing research activities to greater heights through education in various disciplines, including postgraduate education in dairy science and vetinary science, and contributing to society through the wide-ranging application of the results of this research. Department of Sustainable Agriculture: striving for long-term, balanced, sustainable agriculture; Department of Food Science and Human Wellness: cultivating food specialists and nutritionists; Department of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences: aiming to forge a society that can coexist in harmony with the environment; Department of Veterinary Medecine: cultivating veterinarians with a wide-range of capabilites from clinical procedures to advanced research; Department of Veterinary Science: cultivating specialists to provide support in the increasingly sophisticated field of veterinary medicine