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- 2026/03/06
[Event] Special Seminar Series #71 (Prof. Thomas Ternes/Lecture）
On the afternoon of Friday, March 6th, Prof. Thomas Ternes, the Head of Research from Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany (BfG), gave a special lecture about analysis to identify toxicants. A lively question and answer session continued throughout the session.
He has extensive research achievements in the fate, decomposition, and concentration of trace pollutants in the environment. Seminar details
- 2026/02/27
[Event] Special Seminar Series #70 (Dr. Justin B. Greer/Lecture）
On the afternoon of Friday, February 27th, Dr. Justin B. Greer from US Geological Survey (USGS), who is a computational and experimental biologist specializing in environmental chemistry, toxicology, and risk assessment, gave a special lecture titled "Tire-derived Contaminants and Aquatic Animal Health".
Even participants who are not familiar with the field enjoyed the lecture and asked a variety of questions. Seminar details
- 2026/02/20
[Event Rerport] 1st Functional Materials x Water Environment Engineering Collaboration Forum
Based on a collaborative agreement in the water sector, a Collaboration Forum was held, hosted by the Institute for Aqua Regeneration of Shinshu University, RECWET of the University of Tokyo, and Shinshu University/The University of Tokyo Collaboration Branch Office, at UTokyo HASEKO KUMA HALL (right picture) on the afternoon of February 17, 2026 (in Japanese).
The forum and the discussion session were attended by 60 and 40 people respectively from industry, government, and academia, primarily from the water sector. Sessions 1 and 2 featured 12 lectures from the fields of materials chemistry, bioengineering, functional materials, and urban engineering. This, along with the subsequent discussion session, led to lively discussions and interaction across disciplines.
Speakers from UTokyo included Prof. Madoka Takai, Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama, Assoc. Prof. Takashi Hashimoto (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development), Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment), Assoc. Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (RCAST), Project Asst. Prof. Miaomiao Liu (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology), and Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu U/UTokyo Collaboration Branch Office).
- 2026/02/15
[Media] Serialised in Saga Shimbun & explanatory article on Environmental News (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima contributed the following two articles in January and February.
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima will be writing a column for the Sunday edition of the Saga Shimbun newspapers, "Rondan Saga," every six weeks for a total of eight articles in 2026. It started on Feb 15.
● [連載] 北島正章 (2026) ＜ろんだん佐賀＞都市の健康診断 下水から感染拡大の兆し把握, 佐賀新聞, Feb 15.
The January 14th issue of the Environmental Newspaper featured an explanatory article by Yoshihiko Yato (NJS) and Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Shionogi & Co., Ltd.), Vice Presidents of the Japan WasteWater Surveillance Association, and Masaaki Kitajima, Director of the same association.
● [解説] 谷戸善彦・小林博幸・北島正章 (2026) 次なるパンデミックに備える―「下水サーベイランス」の社会実装の現在地 平時の感染症対策として定着を 日本下水サーベイランス協会, 環境新聞, Jan 14, p.20/Online.- 2026/02/14
[Lecture] Invited lectures in Jan-Feb (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima gave the following invited lectures.
● 北島正章 (2026) 下水疫学と公衆衛生危機管理：感染症対策への新たなアプローチ, 第2回日本危機管理医学会総会・学術集会, Feb 14, 名古屋大学.
● 北島正章 (2026) 下水道分野から医療に貢献する下水疫学：研究の最前線と社会実装への展望, シンポジウム「下水道と医療・災害分野の連携を考える」, 国土交通省・土木学会環境工学委員会, Jan 20, Online.
● 北島正章 (2026) 下水疫学という新しい科学～人を検査しなくても地域の健康が見える？？～, 環境研究総合推進費(ERCA)5-2403 公開講座「ヒト健康における環境因子の重要性 ヒトはなぜ病気になるのだろう？」, Jan 11, 群馬大学.
- 2026/02/10
[Publication] Paper on quantification of AMR key indicators in urban wastewater (Project Assoc. Prof. Kasuga, Prof. Kurisu)
Project Assoc. Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology), Prof. Futoshi Kurisu (Water Systems Management) and the others quantified two key indicators of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater samples from two cities in Japan, and their paper was published in JWET.
● Tiamenla Lanuyanger, My Hanh Thi Vu, Masato Suzuki, Futoshi Kurisu, Ikuro Kasuga (2026) Quantification of Cefotaxime-Resistant Escherichia coli and Class 1 Integron Integrase Gene as Key Indicators of Antimicrobial Resistance in Urban Wastewater in Two Cities in Japan, Journal of Water and Environment Technology, 24(1), 135-148.
https://doi.org/10.2965/jwet.25-085 Issued on Feb 10- 2026/02/09
[Publication] Press Release: True scale of COVID-19 spread revealed by wastewater surveillance (Project Prof. Kitajima)
A paper with Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) as last author was published by Environment International on January 6, 2026. In addition, a press release was issued on February 9th in the name of Osaka University, Hokkaido University Hospital, the School of Engineering, UTokyo, and others.
"Wastewater surveillance reveals true scale of COVID-19 spread as clinical testing declines"
Press Relase in Japanese: https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/press/pr2026-02-09-001
Research at UOsaka in English: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/research/2025/20260209_1
● Michio Murakami, Nobuhisa Ishiguro, Hiroki Ando, Mutsumi Ishida, Toshihiro Hamada, Sho Nakakubo, Reiko Oyamada, Takahiro Hayashi, Yusuke Niinuma, Keisuke Kagami, Tatsuya Fukumoto, Keisuke Taki, Tomoyuki Endo, Masaaki Kitajima (2026) Insights from wastewater surveillance into testing-related underreporting and hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections, Environment International, 207, 110028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.110028
- 2026/02/09
[Publication] Papers published in MRS Commun. & Pharmaceutics (Prof. Takai)
Two papers involving Prof. Madoka Takai (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development）have been published.
We have reported that coating hollow fiber membranes with cross-linked zwitterionic polymer reduces protein fouling and maintains separation performance for a long period of time. This technology contributes to improving the antifouling ability of water treatment membranes.
● Shuta Otomo, Tsukuru Masuda, Shuji Nakatsuka, Youichi Matsuo & Madoka Takai (2026) Cross-linked zwitterionic copolymer-modified cellulose acetate hollow fiber membranes to reduce protein adsorption, MRS Communications, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-026-00933-y Online Feb 9/Print in Press
We have discovered a new antibiotic that targets bacterial phosphatidylethanolamine and reported its efficacy. This technology is expected to be applicable to biofilm removal, leading to water purification.
● Keita Masuda, Yasuhiro Nakagawa, Quentin Boussau, Emilie Chabert, Tsukuru Masuda, Jerome Bonnet, Tatsuya Inukai, Shigeki Nakamura, Madoka Takai, Diego Cattoni and Horacio Cabral (2026) Self-Stabilizing Covalent Ligand Targets Bacterial Phosphatidylethanolamine and Enhances Antibiotic Efficacy, Pharmaceutics, 18(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010071 Online Jan 5/Print January- 2026/02/09
[Publication] Paper on the bromate abatement by the ultraviolet/sulfite advanced reduction process (Prof. Oguma)
The results of an international collaborative research project between Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment Division) and Chulalongkorn University and Mahidol University in Thailand on the bromate abatement by the ultraviolet (UV)/sulfite advanced reduction process (ARP) has been published in J. Environ. Manage.
● Kim Anh Phan, Soraya Pornsuwan, Kumiko Oguma, Jenyuk Lohwacharin (2026) Bromate abatement with ultraviolet light-emitting diode/thiosulfate advanced reduction processes: Mechanisms, affecting parameters and applications, Journal of Environmental Management, 401, 128835.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128835 Online Feb 9/Print Mar 1- 2026/01/29
[Lecture] Public Symposium at InterAqua 2026 (Prof. Takai, Emeritus Prof. Kato)
At InterAqua 2026 (Jan 28-30 @ Tokyo Big Sight), one of Japan's largest water business exhibitions, Research Group on Future Lifestyles and Water Science, chaired by Prof. Madoka Takai (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development), held an exhibitor seminar on Jan 29.
At this open symposium, which was fully booked through advance registration, Prof. Takai gave opening remarks and an introduction to the research group, while Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu U/UTokyo Collaboration Branch Office) gave a lecture.Website
● 高井まどか (2026) 開会挨拶・未来のくらしと水の科学研究会の紹介
InterAqua 2026 Seminar Schedule Details of the public seminar
Research Group on Future Lifestyles and Water Science
● 加藤隆史 (2026) 水の科学および自己組織化の化学を基盤とする水処理ナノ高分子膜の進展
未来のくらしと水の科学研究会 公開シンポジウム, InterAqua 2026, Jan 29, 東京ビッグサイト Aqua Stage.- 2026/01/23
[Media] Announcement! "Women In Tech 30" 2026 (Prof. Oguma)
Forbes Japan announced "Women in Tech 30" 2026 in its March issue. Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment), the first person from outside the West to be elected as the President-Elect of the International Ultraviolet Association, was selected as one of the 30 women who will change the world in the field of technology. Her activities and profile were introduced in the magazine.
● 小熊久美子 (2026) 欧米以外で初、国際紫外線協会会長に, 「Women in Tech 30」2026 テクノロジー領域で世界を変える女性30人, Forbes Japan 3月号 (1/23発売）, p.76-79.
Image：Forbes JAPAN MAGAZINE- 2026/01/20
[Event Report] Joint Symposium of AMED programs on wastewater-based surveillance
The public symposium "The Frontline and Prospects of Research Towards the Implementation of Wastewater Surveillance - Building an Infectious Disease Surveillance System Linking the Environment and Clinical Practice -" was held at UTokyo Takeda Hall on the afternoon of January 13th. With the cooperation of RECWET, it was successfully completed. (in Japanese)
Lecture photos have been posted on the symposium webpage. Kokyo Toshi Journal Inc. (Jan 15), Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. (Jan 23), and Japan Suido Shimbun (Feb 11) reported details of the symposium.
● [Press] 北島正章・春日郁朗・鈴木仁人ほか (2026) 上下水道情報Plus, 下水サーベイランスで公開シンポ｜AMED ワンヘルス対応・社会実装見据えて最新研究を共有、“天気予報”など議論, Jan 15.
● [Press] 北島正章・春日郁朗・鈴木仁人ほか (2026) 日経バイオテク, 感染症の下水サーベイランス、現状では難しい百日ぜきの検出も可能に、薬剤耐性菌の広がりを監視する網羅的手法も開発中, Jan 23.
● [Press] 北島正章・春日郁朗・鈴木仁人ほか (2026) 日本下水道新聞, データ活用で知見共有 ＡＭＥＤ、下水サーベイで公開シンポ, Feb 11.- 2026/01/17
[Publication] Paper on virus removal by two activated sludge systems (Prof. Katayama, Former researcher Tippawan)
Under the supervision of Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development), the lead author Dr. Tippawan Singhopon and others compared the virus removal performance by membrane bioreactor and conventional activated sludge systems for water reuse. They evaluated the superiority of the former, and a paper was published in Water Res.
● Tippawan Singhopon, Vu Duc Canh, Syun-suke Kadoya, Hiroyuki Katayama (2026) A full-scale Co-located comparison of virus removal by membrane bioreactor and conventional activated sludge systems, Water Research, 292, 125352.
The content of this research was mainly conducted during the period when she was a RECWET project researcher.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2026.125352 Online Jan 17/Print Mar 15- 2026/01/16
[Event] Special Seminar Series #69 (Dr. Junyue (Holden) Wang/Lecture)
Dr. Junyue (Holden) Wang from the University of Maine in the United States, who specializes in disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms and oxidation treatment of persistent organic matter, gave a lecture on his latest research findings in the morning of January 16th. Dr. Holden, who has been conducting research in the United States for nearly seven years, answered questions from each participant in detail. The seminar also included a participant from the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Seminar details
- 2026/01/06
[Publication] Papers published in J. Environ. Chem. Eng. & J. Environ. Chem. Eng. (Prof. Kurisu)
Two papers involving Prof. Futoshi Kurisu (Water System Management) have been published.
Prof. Kurisu, Project Assoc Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) and others evaluated the removal and release of emerging pollutants across nine wastewater treatment plants in Japan.
● Aishwarya Pandey, Ikuro Kasuga, Hiroaki Furumai, Futoshi Kurisu (2026) Priority list of emerging contaminants in domestic wastewater treatment plants and their removal by different secondary treatment methods, Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 21, 100969.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100969 Online Jan 6/Print Feb
The research team compared the generation and transformation of dissolved organic matter and disinfection by-products
during various accelerated treatments using ozone and ultraviolet light.
● Thirawit Prasert, Futoshi Kurisu, Phanwatt Phungsai (2026) Comparative evaluation of catalytic ozonation and UV-based AOPs: Impacts on dissolved organic matter and disinfection by-product formation revealed by non-target screening, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 14(1), 121047.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2026.121047 Online Jan 6/Print Feb- 2025/12/31
[Publication] Paper on separation membranes with water treatment and CO2 gas separation properties (Emeritus Prof. Kato, Prof. Katayama, Dr. Liu)
The joint research team led by Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu U/UTokyo Collaboration Branch Office) and Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development) with Project Asst. Prof. Liu Miaomiao (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) reported that separation membranes developed from imidazolium-sulfobetaine ionic liquid crystals have properties for water treatment and CO2 gas separation, and a paper was published in the Polym. Chem.
● Takeshi Sakamoto, Kyoya Adachi, Kazushi Imamura, Yu Hoshino, Miaomiao Liu, Shotaro Torii, Hiroyuki Katayama and Takashi Kato (2026) Self-assembled nanostructured membranes with an imidazolium-sulfonate betaine group: ionic columnar liquid crystals with water treatment and CO2 gas separation properties, Polymer Chemistry, 17(5), 566-573.
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5PY00995B Online Dec 31, 2025/Print Feb 3- 2025/12/25
[Award] Selected for Highly Ranked Scholar in 2025 (Emeritus Prof. Kato & Project Prof. Kitajima)
Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu U/UTokyo Collaboration Branch Office) and Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) were recognized as Top Scholars in ScholarGPS, run by Meta Analytics LLC in the United States, for ranking in the top 0.5% of researchers worldwide in the following research fields in 2025.
Takashi Kato, 2025 scholar profile and ranking
● Lifetime:
#14,454 Overall (All Fields)
# 4 Liquid crystal
Masaaki Kitajima, 2025 scholar profile and ranking
● Lifetime:
#66 Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus
#79 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
● Prior Five Years:
# 9 Wastewater
#21 Environment (systems)
#57 RNA
#62 Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus
#65 Severe acute respiratory syndrome
#75 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2- 2025/12/23
[Lecture] Invited lecture at Biotechnology Study Group (Prof. Takai)
Prof. Madoka Takai (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development) gave a lecture at the "Biotechnology for the Future" study group seminar held online by the Japan Bioindustry Association on December 23rd. In the lecture, she introduced examples of applications for surface modification materials that prevent biofouling adhesion.
● 高井まどか (2025) アメーバハイドロゲルでバイオ素材の機能を解き放つ ― 生体物質の安定化と新たな応用展開, "未来へのバイオ技術"勉強会「バイオ素材百花繚乱20～社会課題の解決に資するバイオ素材3選」, 一般財団法人バイオインダストリー協会, Dec 23, Zoom配信.- 2025/12/19
[Conference] Symposium organizer, Session host and Lecture (Prof. Oguma)
Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment) organized a symposium session on UV Photochemistry with an international team, hosted the session, and also gave a lecture at The International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Pacifichem 2025 held in Honolulu from December 15th to 20th.
Session
Lecture
UV Photochemistry: Oxidation and Disinfection for Protection of Public Health in Water and Air (#CES043)
Organized by Karl Linden* (ACS), Kumiko Oguma* (CSJ), Madjid Mohseni (CSC), Ran Yin (ACS), Stuart Khan (ACS)
*: Session Host
Kumiko Oguma (2025) Challenges of UV-LEDs Addressing Broad Water Disinfection Needs, Pacifichem 2025, Dec 19, Honolulu, Hawaii.- 2025/12/15
[Event] Special Seminar Series #68 (Prof. Karina Gin/Lecture)
Prof. Karina Yew-Hoong GIN from National University of Singapore gave a lecture in the evening on 15th December. She is a distinguished researcher in microbial water quality, environmental chemistry, and health risk assessment. The event coordinator, Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima, had the privilege of working closely with her during his postdoctoral period in Singapore.
The lecture covered a broad range of environmental engineering topics, from microbial water quality to climate change. The large number of participants led to numerous questions during the Q&A session, and researchers and students who study Antimicrobial Resistance also had conversations with her. Seminar details
- 2025/12/12
[Presentation/Award] IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (Prof. Kitajima, Dr. Angga)
At the IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE) held in Bangkok from December 8th to 12th, Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima and Project Researcher Made Sandhyana ANGGA (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) gave poster presentations below. In addition, the poster by Shusuke Araki (M1), presented by Project Prof. Kitajima, won the Best Poster Award.
● M. S. Angga, V. D. Canh, Y. Nakaya, H. Satoh, D. T. T. Quyen, M. Liu, H. Katayama, M. Kitajima (2025) Wastewater-based Epidemiological Surveillance for Sexually Transmitted Infections,
● Shusuke Araki, Vu Duc Canh, Ryo Iwamoto, Hiroyuki Katayama, Masaaki Kitajima (2025) Usefulness of Pathogen Surveillance in Aircraft and Airport Wastewater as a Complement to Traveler Testing. [Best Poster Award]
● V. D. Canh, D. T. T. Quyen, M. S. Angga, Y. Nakaya, H. Satoh, H. Katayama, M. Kitajima (2025) Comparison of Detection Methods for Mycobacterium spp. and M. tuberculosis Complex in Wastewater.
Poster, IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE), 8-12 Dec 2025, Bangkok, Thailand.
- 2025/12/05
[Presentations & Award] The 62nd JSCE Environmental Engineering Research Forum (Profs. Katayama, Kurisu, Oguma, Kitajima, Kasuga and Hashimoto)
RECWET members gave the following presentations at the 62nd JSCE Environmental Engineering Research Forum, held in Miyazaki City from December 3rd to 5th. In addition, a paper presented by Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama et al. won the Environmental Technology and Project Award.
【Peer-reviewed paper】
● 嘉屋秀⼤・⿃居将太郎・Benyapa Sawangjang・Aunnop Wongrueng・⼩熊久美⼦・滝沢智 (2025) タイ王国チェンマイ県におけるRO膜ろ過施設・家庭⽤浄⽔器および⽔販売機によるフッ素及び指標微⽣物の除去性能.
● 荒⽊秀祐・Vu Duc Canh・岩本遼・安藤良徳・⽚⼭浩之・北島正章 (2025) 空港下⽔中の病原微⽣物遺伝⼦検出に基づく感染症の越境流⼊監視技術の検討.
● 松崎⽂⾹・太⽥真帆・春⽇郁朗・栗栖太 (2025) ⼤容量直接注⼊ LC/MS と機械学習を⽤いた濃度推定による微量汚染物質スクリーニングの定量性評価.
● ⼩松周⽣・⽻深昭・北島正章・⽊村克輝 (2025) ⾼感度分析⼿法を⽤いたナノバブル/担体MBRにおけるウイルス除去性能の評価.
Japanese Journal of JSCE (Environmental Research) 81(25) has included those. (Jan 16, 2026)【Free submission presentation】
● My Hanh Thi VU・Futoshi KURISU・Futoshi HASEBE・Masato SUZUKI・Ikuro KASUGA (2025) Wastewater Surveillance Reveals Regional Variation of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Viet Nam.
● 伊藤万由・栗栖太・春⽇郁朗 (2025) ハイブリッドキャプチャー濃縮と組み合わせたメタゲノム解析による都市下⽔と病院排⽔の薬剤耐性遺伝⼦組成の評価.
● Gan Yalan・KURISU Futoshi・SIMAZAKI Dai・NAGASHIMA Hiromi・HOSHINO Yoshihiko・KASUGA Ikuro (2025) Control of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria biofilm in hospital water by different disinfectants.
● 松崎⽂⾹・春⽇郁朗・Janice B. Sevilla-Nastor・中島典之・栗栖太 (2025) フィリピン・ラグナ湖における新興汚染物質の LC-QTOF/MS を⽤いたスクリーニング分析およびリスク評価.
● ⽵内広海・橋本崇史・⽚⼭浩之 (2025) 塩素処理した⾬天時越流⽔中の腸管系ウイルスの残存とF特異RNAファージの指標性.
The 62nd JSCE Environmental Engineering Research Forum, Dec 3-5, Miyazaki.【Environmental Technology and Project】
● ⾨屋俊祐・⽚⼭浩之・島﨑⼤・増⽥貴則 (2025) クラス分類アルゴリズムを⽤いた環境⽔中ウイルス濃度“レベル”予測モデルの開発 [Environmental Technology and Project Award]
第62回環境工学研究フォーラム, Dec 3-5, 宮崎市民プラザ- 2025/12/03
[Lecture] Opening Plenary at FAPS 2025 (Emeritus Prof. Kato)
Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu University/The University of Tokyo Collaboration Branch Office) gave an Opening Plenary on Aquatic Functional Polymeric Materials at the 9th Federation of Asian Polymer Societies Biennial Polymer Congress (FAPS 2025), held at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore from December 1st to 4th.
● Takashi Kato (2025) Aquatic Functional Polymeric Materials for Sustainability [Opening Plenary], Federation of Asian Polymer Societies Biennial Polymer Congress 2025 (FAPS 2025), Dec 3, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.- 2025/12/02
[Publications] Papers published in World J Microbiol Biotechnol & J. Biosci. Bioeng. (Prof. Syutsubo)
Two papers have been published with Prof. Kazuaki Syutsubo (International Water Environment Division) as the last author.
A paper evaluating the removal and recovery rate of minor metals by biogenic manganese oxides produced by a biofilm reactor packed with aspen wood and polyurethane sponge
● Masataka Aoki, Kazuyuki Hayashi, Naoki Wakui, Yuga Hirakata, Takahiro Watari, Takashi Yamaguchi & Kazuaki Syutsubo (2025) A biofilm reactor packed with aspen wood and polyurethane sponge for biological manganese(II) oxidation and minor metal recovery, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 41(12), 491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-025-04695-y Online Dec 2/Print Dec
A paper determining prey–predator relationships and material flows in a biological treatment reactor for municipal wastewater using the natural abundances of stable isotopes
● Takashi Onodera, Kengo Kubota, Akinori Iguchi, Akihiro Nagamachi, Tadashi Tagawa, Gen Kanaya, Ayato Kohzu, Kazuaki Syutsubo (2026) Spatial, temporal, and biotic changes in the natural abundances of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in a biological treatment reactor, Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 141(2), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiosc.2025.11.002 Online Jan 14/Print Feb- 2025/12/02
[Invited] Panelist at WHO workshop on Wastewater and Environment Surveilance (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima participated as a panelist in Session 2 on DAY 1 of the WHO Asia-Pacific regional workshop on wastewater and environmental surveillance for public health, held in Bangkok from December 2nd to 4th.
● Masaki Kitajima (2025) Panelist: Reflections from government representatives and/or institutions supporting government with at-scale WES, WHO Asia-Pacific regional workshop on wastewater and environmental surveillance for public health, 2 Dec, Bankok, Thailand.- 2025/11/30
[Publication] Paper published in Water Research (Dr. Uehara, Prof. Kurisu et al.)
RECWET Project Researcher Yutaro Uehara, Assoc. Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology), and Prof. Futoshi Kurisu (Water Systems Management) used high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify unknown organic matter that causes pathogen growth in tap water, and quantum chemical calculations to identify their fragmentation pathways. Then, the paper was published in Water Research.
● Yutaro Uehara, Hirokazu Takanashi, Ikuro Kasuga, Futoshi Kurisu (2026) Non-targeted analysis using liquid chromatograph-hybrid mass spectrometer reveals growth substrates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in tap water, Water Research, 290, 125025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.125025 Online Nov 30/Print Feb 15- 2025/11/26
[Event] FY2025 1st RECWET Steering Committee
The first steering committee meeting with the new members was held. After greetings from Director Tsuyoshi Fujita and Deputy Director Madoka Takai, RECWET reported on its budget and financial statements, completed and upcoming events, and the activities of the three divisions, a laboratory and a branch office. The steering committee members provided valuable feedback and encouragement.
- 2025/11/19
[Lecture] Invited lecture at New Membrane Technology Symposium (Prof. Katayama)
Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development) gave a lecture on the evaluation of virus removal ability in membrane filtration processes at Session 6, "The Cutting Edge of Membrane-Based Wastewater Treatment Technology," of the 40th New Membrane Technology Symposium 2025, held by Association of Membrane Separation Technology, Japan (AMST) at Waseda University/Zoom from November 17th to 19th.
● 片山浩之 (2025) 膜によるウイルス除去能評価, 第40回ニューメンブレンテクノロジーシンポジウム2025～地球と共生する膜技術～, 一般社団法人 日本膜学会, Nov 19, 早稲田大学.- 2025/11/14
[Award] Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima has been selected as "Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025". This is the fourth consecutive year since 2022.
The news was featured in the Topics on the School of Engineering website (in Japanese).
Highly Cited Researchers (Website)：https://clarivate.com/highly-cited-researchers/- 2025/11/12
[Lecture] Keynote lecture at Water Treatment Seminar (Prof. Katayama)
Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development) gave a keynote speech at the Water Treatment Seminar - From Virus Measurement to Digital Optimization - (Tokyo/Osaka) hosted by Central Kagaku Corp., a manufacturer of water quality measuring instruments. (Japanese)
● 片山浩之 (2025) 水の安全性確保のためのウイルス測定 [基調講演], 水処理セミナー～ウイルス測定からデジタル最適化まで～, セントラル科学株式会社, Nov 11 東京会場/Nov 12 大阪会場.- 2025/11/11
[Publication] Paper in ACS ES&T Water (Project Researcher Angga et al.)
The joint research team, consisting of Dr. Made Sandhyana Angga, Dr. Vu Duc Canh, Project Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama, Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) and Hokkaido University, demonstrates the feasibility of wastewater-based epidemiology for monitoring sexually transmitted infections in a community using the highly sensitive EPISENS-M method. The paper has been published online in ACS ES&T Water.
● Made Sandhyana Angga, Vu Duc Canh, Yuki Nakaya, Hisashi Satoh, Hiroyuki Katayama, and Masaaki Kitajima (2025) Monitoring Sexually Transmitted Infection-Associated Pathogens in Municipal Wastewater in Japan, ACS ES&T Water, 5(12), 7437–7444.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00893 Online Nov 11/Print Dec 12- 2025/11/11
[Presentations] Presentations at domestic conferences by students and collaborator (Prof. Takai)
Prof. Madoka Takai (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development) was involved in two presentations at domestic conferences. At the 35th Annual Meeting of MRS-J (November 11), a master's student gave a poster presentation on the antifouling properties of coating films. At the 74th Polymer Symposium (September 17), a collaborator from the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology gave an oral presentation on water and organic solvents on polymer surfaces.
● 紀 星羽, 李 進才, 高井まどか (2025) 異なる分子量をもつ poly(MPC-co-BMA) コーティング膜の防汚性 (ポスター), 第35回日本MRS年次大会, Nov 10-12, 北九州国際会議場.
● 増田造, 須藤駿哉, 高井まどか (2025) 高分子表面の水・有機溶媒に対する濡れ及び表面自由エネルギーを予測する機械学習モデル, 第74回高分子討論会, Sep 16-18, 関西大学.
- 2025/11/10
[Event] Report of the RECWET-RCEES Joint Seminar
The Laboratory of International Wastewater-based Epidemiology, RECWET organized a joint seminar as follows. On that day, they had a total of eight visitors from China, led by Prof. Min YANG from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (RCEES), who has published nearly 300 papers so far and are highly renowned.
Title：RECWET–RCEES Joint Seminar on Wastewater & Environment Surveillance for Health Risk Management
Date and Time：15:00-18:00, Nov 10 (Mon) 2025
Place：Room 802 (8F, Engineering 14th Bldg.)
- 2025/11/10
[Organizer] Organized a symposium at 2 domestic conferences (Emeritus Prof. Kato)
Emeritus Prof. Takashi Kato (Shinshu University/The University of Tokyo Collaboration Branch Office) planned and hosted one symposium at each of the following two domestic conferences.
● For the CSJ Chemistry Festa 2025, where he served as the Executive Committee Chair, he organized The 12th CSJ-RSC Joint Symposium: Aquatic Chemical Science and Materials to promote exchanges between the Chemical Society of Japan and the Royal Society of Chemistry, held on October 24th. He gave an opening remarks and a lecture.
● For the 35th Annual Meeting of MRS-J, he organized a symposium on self-assembled materials with applications to water, held on November 10th.
- 2025/11/08
[Lectures] Invited lectures in Oct and Nov (Prof. Oguma)
The main invited lectures given by Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment) in October and November are as follows:
Participated in the online seminar Career choices of female engineering students at eight universities: A message to junior and senior high school students aiming for science as a representative of UTokyo, answering questions from junior and senior high school students.
● 小熊久美子 (2025) 中高生からの質疑回答者, 8大学工学系女子学生の進路選択～理系を目指す中高生へのメッセージ～, (一社) 学びのイノベーション・プラットフォーム・ 八大学工学系連合会, Nov 8, Online.
Invited talk at the event "Success Stories of Japan-Canada Research" held at the University of Ottawa in Canada (hosted by the University of Ottawa, co-hosted by JSPS, JST, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC-CRSNG)). Introduced as a "success story" of international collaborative research.
Event announcement page Report by the Embassy of Japan in Canada JST-NSERC Research Cooperative Program
● Kumiko Oguma (2025) Invited Talk, Success Stories of Japan-Canada Research, uOttawa, JSPS, JST and NSERC-CRSNG, Oct 15, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Invited lecture at the Special Symposium of The Japan Society of Wide Gap Semiconductors, with the theme of the latest technology and prospects for ultraviolet devices
● 小熊久美子 (2025) UV-LEDを用いた水消毒装置への応用, ワイドギャップ半導体学会第23回研究会, Oct 2, 岡山国際交流センター/Online.- 2025/11/01
[Conference] 4 presentations in collaboration with pediatric researchers (Project Prof. Kitajima)
4 oral presentations will be given at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. The presenters are the researchers from the Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, who conduct joint research with Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima.
● Yuta Aizawa, Jun Tachikawa, Rie Habuka, Kazuhiro Horiba, Masaaki Kitajima, Akihiko Saitoh (2025) Detection of Recombinant Parechovirus-A5 in Neonatal Sepsis-like Illness and its Community Circulation Confirmed by Wastewater Surveillance.
● 太刀川潤、相澤悠太、対馬航太朗、羽深理恵、幾瀨樹、山中崇之、樋浦誠、本間丈成、大久保総一朗、遠山潤、阿部裕樹、北島正章、齋藤昭彦 (2025) 下水サーベイランスによるエンテロウイルス-D68の系統樹解析.
● 対馬航太朗、太刀川潤、相澤悠太、羽深理恵、幾瀨樹、山中崇之、樋浦誠、本間丈成、大久保総一朗、遠山潤、阿部裕樹、北島正章、齋藤昭彦 (2025) 下水サーベイランスによるエンテロウイルス-D68流行の早期検出.
● 羽深理恵、太刀川潤、Nur Irma Safitri、相澤悠太、山中崇之、阿部裕樹、大久保総一朗、樋浦誠、小林悠、遠山潤、本間丈成、北島正章、齋藤昭彦 (2025) 下水サーベイランスによる小児呼吸器感染症予測の検討.
第57回日本小児感染症学会総会・学術集会, Nov 8-9, グランドニッコー東京ベイ舞浜- 2025/10/25
[Lecture] Invited lecture at the 41st meetings of Japanese Humic Substances Society (Dr. Uehara)
RECWET Project Researcher Yutaro Uehara gave an invited lecture in the special lecture session entitled "What young humic substance researchers want to hear now: Interdisciplinary approaches to mass spectrometry", at the 41st meetings of Japanese Humic Substances Society, held at Okayama University of Science on October 25th and 26th.
● 上原悠太郎 (2025) ハイブリッド質量分析計による未知有機物の構造決定 ～水道水中微生物再増殖に利用される有機物の探索事例～ [企画講演], 日本腐植物質学会 第41回講演会・総会, Oct 25, 岡山理科大学.- 2025/10/22
[Notice] RECWET Annual report has been issued
The two-year annual report which summarizes RECWET'S activities and research results for FY2023-2024 has been issued.
● The 2023-2024 report (PDF, 4.8MB)
● The list of the past reports (Japanese)- 2025/10/22
[Publication] Paper in ACS ES&T Water (Project Researcher Vu Duc Canh et al.)
The joint research team, consisting of Dr. Vu Duc Canh, Project Asst. Prof. Liu Miaomiao, Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) and Hokkaido University, reveals the prevalence and seasonal patterns of human bocavirus and Streptococcus pneumoniae through wastewater surveillance using the optimized EPISENS-M method. The paper has been published online in ACS ES&T Water.
● Vu Duc Canh, Motoki Kawashima, Akihiro Kawaguchi, Miaomiao Liu, Satoshi Okabe, Masaaki Kitajima (2025) Revealing the Epidemiology of Human Bocavirus and Streptococcus pneumoniae through Wastewater Surveillance, ACS ES&T Water, 5(11), 6473-6478.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00594 Online Oct 22/Print Nov 14- 2025/10/20
[Lecture] Special Lecture at Wakate Colosseum for Bacteriology 2025 (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima is giving the following special lecture. This academic conference was established 19 years ago with the aim of contributing to the development of basic, applied, and clinical research in microbiology in Japan.
● 北島正章 (2025) ウイルス感染症の下水疫学：学問分野の開拓から社会実装まで [特別講演], 第19回細菌学若手コロッセウム, Oct 26, 酪農学園大学, 北海道.- 2025/10/14
[Publication] Paper published in Water Science & Technology (Master's graduate, Prof. Katayama et al.)
Mr. Lahiru (Master's graduate in the Katayama Lab), Assoc. Prof. Takashi Hashimoto, Prof. Hiroyuki Katayama and others evaluated the influence of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane deterioration on virus removal performance in the wastewater reclaimation process. The paper was published in Water Sci. Technol.
● Nadu Kankanamge Lahiru Chathushan Rupasinghe; Keita Soda; Yasuhiro Matsui; Takashi Hashimoto; Hiroyuki Katayama (2025) Influence of operating state of a pilot-scale ultrafiltration system on virus removal for potable water reuse, Water Science & Technology, 92(9), 1205-1220. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2025.149 Online Oct 14/Print Nov 1- 2025/10/10
[Activity] IUVA World Congress & IUVA President-Elect (Prof. Oguma)
Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment) organized 2025 IUVA World Congress, which was held in Lisbon, Portugal on Sep 7-10. She also served as session chairs.
The professor has been elected as the IUVA President-Elect as of Sep. 9 at the the General Assembly. This is the first time that a president has come from outside of Europe or the United States.
List of IUVA Board Members Image：IUVA LinkedIn(Oct 10)
Prof. Oguma's appointment as the incoming president of IUVA was published as Association News in IUVA's online journal, UVSolutions Quarter 4.
● Kumiko Oguma (2025) Association News: Kumiko Oguma Nominated as Incoming IUVA President, UVSolutions Quarter 4, p.28.- 2025/10/10
[Publication] Letter to the Editor published (Project Prof. Kitajima)
A "Letter to the Editor" on Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance, with Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima as one of the authors, has been published by JWET.
● Yoshitaka Nishikawa, Michio Murakami, Warish Ahmed, Masahiko Haraguchi, Kwanrawee Sirikanchana, Theodros Getachew Zemedu, Masaaki Kitajima (2025) Reporting Standards for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance: Toward Better Environmental Science and Public Health Practice, Journal of Water and Environment Technology, 23(5), 231-233.
https://doi.org/10.2965/jwet.25-144 (Letter to the Editor)- 2025/10/09
[Publication] Joint research paper with the Japanese Red Cross Society (Prof. Oguma)
Prof. Kumiko Oguma (International Water Environment) and Japanese Red Cross Society investigated the quality of platelets after storage following irradiation with ultraviolet C (UVC) light-emitting diodes (LED), and the paper was published online by Transfus. Med.
● Tomoya Hayashi, Yoshihiko Sakurai, Yoshihiro Fujimura, Kumiko Oguma, Yuichi Mishima, Fumiya Hirayama, Yoshihiko Tani, Yoshihiro Takihara, Takafumi Kimura (2025) Quality of platelet concentrates after three-day storage following 265 nm ultraviolet C-light-emitting diode irradiation, Transfusion Medicine, Early View, 1-8.
UVC-LEDs have attracted considerable attention as potential solutions to transfusion-related infections.
https://doi.org/10.1111/tme.70025- 2025/10/08
[Award] World's Top 2% Scientists List (Prof. Kato ＆ Project Prof. Kitajima)
The latest edition (2025/Vol.8) of the "Updated Science-Wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators", a list of top-cited scientists created by Stanford University and Elsevier, was released on Sep 19, 2025. Among the current members of RECWET, Prof. Emeritus Takashi Kato (the Branch office) and Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) were selected for both the "career-long" and "single recent year" categories *.
● Prof. Emeritus Kato (Chemistry - Polymers, General Chemistry field)
This list covers scientists worldwide who have published at least five papers in 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields. The top 2% of scientists in each subfield were selected based on information from Scopus, an abstract and citation database provided by Elsevier. * Based on citation received during calendar year 2024
Consecutive selection for both Career and Single year since 2019/Vol.1
● Project Prof. Kitajima (Biomedical Research - Environmental Sciences, Microbiology field)
Career: 2024, 2025
Single year: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025- 2025/10/02
[Presentation] Oral presentaions at IWA-ASPIRE (Assoc. Profs. Hashimoto & Kasuga)
At the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference IWA-ASPIRE (September 30th - October 2nd, New Zealand), a Doctoral student supervised by Assoc. Prof. Takashi Hashimoto (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development), his collaborator, Project Asst. Prof. Cecilia Burzio (RECWET Collaborative Member), and a project researcher led by Project Assoc. Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) gave oral presentations as follows.
● Cecilia Burzio, Michael Welle, Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, Koji Kosaka, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Takashi Hashimoto (2025) DETECTION OF RIVER WATER CONTAMINATION USING EXCITATION-EMISSION MATRIX FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY AND MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS.
● Yan Tung Lo, Takashi Hashimoto, Satoshi Takizawa (2025) ROLE OF FUNCTIONALIZATION IN CARBON-BASED NANOSHEETS FOR ENHANCED REJECTION OF POLLUTANTS IN THIN-FILM NANOCOMPOSITE MEMBRANES.
● Thi My Hanh VU, Futoshi KURISU, Futoshi HASEBE, Masato SUZUKI, Ikuro KASUGA (2025) WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES BY HIGH-THROUGHPUT QUANTITATIVE PCR IN FIVE CITIES IN VIETNAM.
10th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference & Expo, 29 Sep - 3 Oct, Christchurch.- 2025/10/01
[Conference] The 12th Nikkei FT Communicable Diseases Conference (Project Prof. Kitajima)
Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima will be speaking at the "12th Nikkei FT Communicable Diseases Conference ～What new values are required in an age of division?～", which will be streamed online live from October 7-9, where he will engage in in-depth discussions with experts in various fields, including infectious disease countermeasures, vaccines, and the front lines of medical care. Viewing is free, so please do tune in
October 7th, 9:30-11:30
Agenda1 Improving Global Health Security through Broad-ranging Collaboration
A discussion gathering 15 lecturers from industry, government, and academia, including Dr. Shigeru OMI.
▶Pre-registration and details here
▶Video Archive has been available. Agenda 1 24:50- Prof. Kitajima 1:41:32-
- 2025/09/30
[Cooperated event] Hydrosphere Science Seminar #33（Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima）
#33 of Hydrosphere Science Seminar, which RECWET also collaborate to co-sponsor, will be given by Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima from Labolatory of International Wastewater-based Epidemiology, RECWET, from 15:00, 6th October. Please register here and join us!
- 2025/09/27
[Awards] Joint conference presentation with pediatric researchers won top award (Project Prof. Kitajima)
A researcher in the field of pediatrics at Niigata University's Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, who is in the joint research team with Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima, gave a lecture as a recipient of the Young Researcher Encouragement Award, and after judging, was selected as the best lecture out of six presentations.
第66回日本臨床ウイルス学会@札幌
The paper was published in the journal "Clinical Virology".
● 太刀川潤、相澤悠太、鈴木優子、羽深理恵、Nur Irma Safitri、北島正章、齋藤昭彦 (2025) 下水サーベイランスによるパレコウイルス-Aの同定と遺伝子型解析, 第66回日本臨床ウイルス学会, Sep 27-28, 札幌コンベンションセンター. [若手奨励賞受賞者講演] [最優秀賞受賞]
臨床とウイルス53巻目次
● 臨床とウイルス, 53(3) 第66回 日本臨床ウイルス学会プログラム・抄録集, 194-198.- 2025/09/19
[Presentation] The 28th JSWE Symposium (Many members involved)
The following presentations were given at the 28th JSWE Symposium held on Sep 17-19 at Toyama Prefectural University.
Winners of JSWE-ORGANO Doctoral Research Award ( ): Responsible faculty
● Gan Yalan (Post-doc, 春日郁朗) Characterization and Control of Pathogenic Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Hospital Water Supply System.
● 上原悠太郎 (RECWET Post-doc, 栗栖太) 高分解能質量分析計を用いた水道水中細菌増殖基質の探索と同定および浄水処理における消長の評価.Oral presentations
● 佐藤実夏，鳥居将太郎，小熊久美子, 紫外線発光ダイオード（UV-LED）による浄化槽処理水中の大腸菌の不活化.
● 竹内広海，岸野亮，鳥居将太郎，片山浩之, 雨天時越流水中の感染性ウイルス検出に向けた細胞培養 PCR 法の開発.Poster presentations
The 28th JSWE Symposium, Toyama Prefectural University, Sep 17-19.
● Miaomiao Liu, Angga Sandhyana Made, 松山しずか, 北島正章, 馬場知哉, 原田真一, Characterization of Elizabethkingia spp. Isolated from the Wastewater of an Elderly Care Facility：Opportunistic Pathogens with Extensive Intrinsic Resistance.
● 白川大登，橋本崇史，片山浩之, 飲用再利用において限外濾過膜表面のウイルス吸脱着がウイルス除去能に与える影響.
● Gan Yalan，栗栖太，春日郁朗 (2025) Characterization and Inactivation of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Regrowing in Hospital Water Supply System.
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