This graduate school specializes in environmental sciences and comprises a group of primary research divisions, as well as associated divisions from other departments within the university, and related specialist divisions from outside the university. The structure of the group is as follows:

Core Divisions

Urban Environment and Environmental Geography

By carrying out fieldwork, we assess the interrelationship between man and environment and the current status of environmental resource utilization. Teaching and research will be carried out to identify conditions that promote sustainable human infrastructure development, by considering several topics, including environmental geography, which elucidate human effects and various natural factors, and theory of urban environment dynamics, by use of technology and socio-cultural systems that are compatible with the existing natural environment.

International and Regional Environment

Environmental problems cannot be solved by a single nation. Counter action, at a regional level, requires cooperation between nations. To confront various present-day problems, law and politics, economic systems, and evaluation of the environment etc have to be assessed. Furthermore, teaching and research undertaken during this course on socio-cultural civilization will explore the relationship between environment and human society, by considering issues which govern the way global environmental problems impact on, or are affected by, regional factors and local people.

Solar and Terrestrial Systems and Energy Sciences

New technologies to integrate innovative instrumentation and numerical simulation techniques, and collate huge amounts of information related to the earth environment, must be developed in order to elucidate interaction processes and mechanisms of change in the Earth and establish energy systems of all scales, such large and complex systems within the Earth, or simple, individual machines. Here we investigate methods to evaluate and predict the effect of multi-scale energy systems on the environment, and to harmonize human activities with nature.

Environmentally Benign Systems

Our group focuses on the development of new, highly efficient environmentally-related biotechnology, which harmoniously coexists with nature etc. This has to be organically coordinated, with establishment of new environment monitoring systems based on advanced use of bioprocesses, and development of basic technologies for environment related industry.

Sustainable Recycle Process

We conduct teaching and research related to the development of effective process technology for human society. The establishment of an ideal recycle-based society is promoted by analyzing the environmental load related to material recycling, from the manufacture of a product to its final disposal, and co-ordinates related fields such as agricultural science, resources engineering, chemistry, material science etc, using process technology as the common theme.

Ecomaterial Design and Process Engineering

By promoting an environment based life cycle assessment, our goal is to develop functional materials that are adaptable and reduce load on the environment, functional materials from the perspective of synthesis and management that are benign on the environment, and create new methods to evaluate the value of any product in ways that differ from present day cost-based evaluation schemes.

Cooperative Divisions

Earth and Environmental Systems Design

Our education and research program aims to obtain basic knowledge and technological understanding of process in the Earth's subsurface, including energy cycles in the Earth's crust, such as the development of clean energy geothermal energy, and reusable heat flow energy, based on information gained investigating the environment, geothermal extraction processes, and the complex Earth's crust system.

Society of Northeast Asia

We aim to understand the relationship between environment and society in northeast Asia, by considering dynamic aspects such as the history, social-culture, politics and economics of each region. In this course teaching and research will be carried out in historical and historiographical methods, as well as anthropological and politico-economic methods, as a background to elucidating how the environment was historically regarded, the use and manner of resource distribution, and social norms, laws and the State.

Culture of Northeast Asia

The region of northeast Asia is rich in cultural and natural diversity, and the various peoples, languages and local communities have developed unique views of nature. Various aspects have been inscribed in its literature and psyche, as well as the dynamism of its linguistic culture and history. In this course teaching and research will be carried out to elucidate the relationship and historical transition of man and environment in east and interior Asia by analyzing the cultural base that constitutes its linguistics, philology, and history.

Physical Chemistry for Environmental Materials

Teaching and research will be undertaken to develop material synthesis techniques that do not cause harm to the environment, and methods for effective and complete recycling of used materials. This is undertaken to totally understand the physical and chemical functions of all materials, and develop completely new functional materials.

Environmental System and Materials

To build an environment benign society, the use of environment conciliatory type material synthesis techniques is indispensable. In this course teaching and research will be conducted to emulate natural processes, in other words, development of material synthesis systems that do not cause harm to the environment, and initiation of technologies that could become the basis for a range of new industries.

Endowed Divisions

Endowed divisions have been inaugurated to apply "practical science" to fertile land of business in steady partnership with enterprises.

Control of Environmental Materials (DOWA Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Today, our earth is exposed to so much waste that the cycling system inhered in nature is unable to cope with, eventually endangering its existence.

In order to overcome this crisis, closed system is required to circulate all the substances so as to make a equilibrium stare, not only simple recycling or disposal of resources.

The research in the divisions is assessing behaviors of artificial substances released in the circulating process and being engaged in studies to control and dispose of them safely and to make the resource recycling efficient. We are achieving considerable results in this field.

Energy Security (Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.)

The academic focus of this program is on field of “Energy Security”, studying production technology of fossil and renewable energies for sustainable development within the framework of interdisciplinary integrated studies of engineering and social sciences. The main aim of this educational program is to foster experts and leaders who could take an active part in the “Energy Security” problems from the aspects of advanced high technology, policy planning and management, on the international and domestic levels at present as well as in the foreseeable future.

Collaborative Divisions

Within this Graduate School, related divisions have been set up which comprise institutions from outside the university, who undertake cutting-edge domestic and internationally recognized research. Each of these related divisions conduct project type research with one or more of the divisions within our Graduate School.

Process Engineering for Environmentally Adapted Materials
(Nippon Steel Corporation)

In this course teaching and research will be undertaken to develop new techniques related to the synthesis of various environmentally adaptable materials, especially metallic materials. Our mission is to develop novel material synthesis processes, which allow us to establish sustainable industries and social systems that utilize the environmentally adaptable-type materials.

Global Environment
(National Institute for Environmental Studies)

We, in cooperation with the National Institute for Environmental Studies, carry out research and development on remote sensing technologies for the chemical compositions in the atmosphere as well as research on analysis of global atmospheric environment changes. We conduct reseach/development and education on measurement principles, data processing algorithm, field experiments, and data analysis on the basis of specific cases of remote sensing technologies and their applications for atmospheric compositions/clouds/aerosols, utilizing such instruments as satellite-borne sensors and remote sensors such as lidar (laser radar) and FTS (Fourier Transform infrared Spectrometer).

Environmental Risk Assessment
(National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

under construction

Biotechnical Eco-management
(Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry)

under construction