The concept of “Planetary Health,” proposed in 2015, highlights the interconnectedness of human health and the health of the planet, emphasizing the need to explore optimal conditions that are sustainable for both human and the planet. Global challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss are already impacting people’s lives, health, and societies. Addressing these worldwide emergencies requires region-specific research and actions informed by these findings.

The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) is a large-scale epidemiological study conducted by the Ministry of the Environment since FY2010, involving 100,000 families. The study focuses particularly on the effects of chemicals in the environment. The Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office at the National Institute for Environmental Studies serves as the secretariat, working in collaboration with Regional Centres established at universities and research institutions in 15 regions nationwide, as well as the Medical Support Center at the National Center for Child Health and Development, which provides medical support for the study. In FY2022, a plan was introduced to extend the follow-up period until participants reach approximately 40 years of age, enabling a more long-term investigation into the relationship between environmental chemicals and human health. More than 480 original research papers in English have been published based on the JECS, making it a highly regarded large-scale birth cohort study on a global scale.

The JECS plays a crucial role in understanding the relationship between the planetary environment and human health. However, to better address issues from the perspective of “planetary health”—understanding and taking action for both human and planetary health—broader research and measures are needed.

In this HGPI seminar, we have invited Dr. Shin Yamazaki, Director of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, to talk about the past efforts and future expectations of the JECS. We hope that his experience in conducting one of the world’s largest epidemiological surveys will provide us with insights into what measures we need to take in the future from a planetary health perspective.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker: Dr. Shin Yamazaki (Director, Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies)
• Date & Time: Monday, December 23, 2024; 18:30-19:45 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 participants

■Profile:

Dr. Shin Yamazaki (Director, Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies)

After completing a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, in 2006, he was appointed Associate Professor at the Graduate School in 2007. In 2015, he became the Head of the Environmental Epidemiology Section at the National Institute for Environmental Studies. He later served as the Deputy Director of the Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research in 2017 and has been the Director of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office since 2019, a position he holds to date.