Summary of the Release

〇　Professor HIRATA Akimasa has been appointed as the chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
〇　Professor HIRATA is the first chair from Asia since the establishment of ICNIRP, which is believed due to the fact that his research accomplishment and standardization activities in this field have been acclaimed internationally.

Overview

　Professor HIRATA Akimasa has been appointed as the chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).¹ He works in the Department of Engineering (Electrical and Mechanical Engineering), Nagoya Institute of Technology, and also serves as the Director of the Center of Biomedical Physics and Information Technology.
　Established in 1992, ICNIRP is an independent, non-profit scientific organization that develops international protection guidelines for non-ionizing radiation² and is an officially approved collaborative organization of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The guidelines for the use of electromagnetic fields, light (infrared to ultraviolet), and ultrasound developed by ICNIRP have been adopted in regulations and recommendations in countries around the world, including Japan and those in the EU. In Japan, the technical standards for wireless equipment set by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the technical standards for electrical equipment established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also refer to the ICNIRP guideline values.
　ICNIRP consists of a Main Commission comprised of 14 experts, including the chair and vice-chair, in fields such as medicine, biology, physics, and engineering, and the Scientific Expert Group, which participates in each project. The election was held in Switzerland in November 2023, and Professor HIRATA was elected as the new chair. The term of office is approximately four years, from July 13, 2024 to the end of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) general meeting to be held in 2028. This will be the first chair from Asia since ICNIRP was established in 1992.
　Professor HIRATA has served as the chair of the project group on dosimetry³ review at ICNIRP for many years and has also contributed to the documentation of dosimetry for WHO. His appointment as chair may be attributable to his research accomplishment and activities at Nagoya Institute of Technology.

Words by Professor HIRATA

　I would like to contribute to the safe and secure use of non-ionizing radiation by finding consistent evidence based on biological effect thresholds and reference values between target physical factors and by increasing the transparency of the process leading to guideline formulation.

Biography of Professor HIRATA

　He received a Ph.D. degree in engineering from Osaka University in 2000. After working as a JSPS Research Fellow, Visiting Researcher at University of Victoria, and an Assistant Professor at Osaka University, he joined Nagoya Institute of Technology in 2004. Since 2016, he has served as a member of the ICNIRP Main Committee and chair of the project group on dosimetry. He contributes to the development of assessment method for the biological effects of physical agents, such as environmental electromagnetic fields and hot environments associated with global warming. Served as the Chief of the Subcommittee on Electromagnetic Environment for Radio-wave Utilization, Information and Communications Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and participated in the COVID-19 AI & Simulation Project under the Cabinet Secretariat. He received the Japan Academy Medal in 2018.

Glossary

1. ICNIRP: ICNIRP is an association registered in Munich, Germany, as a non-profit organization with a scientific mission (Statutes).

2. Non-ionizing radiation: Electromagnetic waves that do not have an ionizing effect, such as radio waves, infrared and visible light radiation.

3. Dosimetry: Determination of the electric field strength and energy absorption induced in the body of a human or animal exposed to electromagnetic field by measurement or calculation.

Contact

HIRATA Akimasa
Professor, Department of Engineering (Electrical and Mechanical Engineering)
Director, Center of Biomedical Physics, and Information Technology
Email: ahirata[at]nitech.ac.jp
+81-52-735-7916

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