Recently elected IGU EC Member Prof Yukio Himiyama
Professor Yukio Himiyama was recently elected as Executive Committee member to replace Professor Mike Meadows who assumed the position of Secretary-General and Treasurer in July.
University in Japan (1973), M.S. in Physics at UCLA (1975) and at Tohoku University (1976), and Ph.D. in Geography at King’s College London (1980). He started his career at Hokkaido University of Education, the largest national education university in Japan, in 1980, and has been Professor of Geography since 1989. At the university he assumed such posts as Director of Taisetsuzan Institute of Science (1997-2002), Director of Centre for Lifelong Learning (2004-2009), and Special Advisor to the President (2007-2010).
Outside the university he has been President/Vice-President of Society for Environmental Map Education (1998-present), and was President of Geographical Society of Hokkaido (2001-2005). He initiated Land Use Study Group in the Association of Japanese Geographers in 1985, and hosted the final symposium of IGU Study Group on Dynamics of Land Use Systems at his university in 1987. Later he founded IGU Study Group/Commission on Land Use/Cover Change (IGU-LUCC) in 1996, and chaired it till 2004, coordinating many international meetings, publications and projects. Currently he is pursuing a major five-year international project on “Sustainable Land Use in Asia” (SLUAS) with his IGU-LUCC colleagues in Asia sponsored by Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences (JSPS).
Professor Himiyama has written or edited over 170 articles and books, not only in geography, but also in environmental sciences and in other related fields. He was Honorary Theme Editor of UNESCO/EOLSS Development Review: Japan hundreds of thousands of words covering wide-range of environmental issues. The IGU-LUCC Atlas counts the sixth volume this year. He has also been a member of editorial board of such journals as The role he has been playing for promotion of geographical sciences and education in Japan, particularly at Science Council of Japan, is outstanding. He has been a member of IGU Japan National Committee (1997-present), Secretary General (2005-2008), and Chair (2008-present).
Under his chairmanship Japan National Committee recently established Organizing Committee for IGU Kyoto Regional Conference 2013. He also chairs IHDP (International Human Dimensions Programme) Japan National Committee and GLP (Global Land Project) Japan National Committee. He is thus acting as coordinator of wide-ranging global change research communities in Japan and advisor to ICSU Japan National Committee. His deep involvement and rich experience in these international programmes will be extremely useful for the world geographical community at the time when it seeks its wider participation in global change research and education. The successful development of the Asahikawa Environmental Map Contest, which he initiated in 1991, indicates his enthusiasm on geographical and environmental education.
