Kotaro Nagasawa
Kotaro NAGASAWA
（Platinum Initiative Network, Inc.
Born in Tokyo in 1958. Former Senior Managing Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Research Institute. During his tenure, he was mainly engaged in research and studies on infrastructure and social security. During his first few years with the company, he was involved in projects related to flood control, and learned from many experts on river systems at the time to think about the national land on a 100- or 1,000-year scale. Currently, he is an auditor of Jumonji Gakuen Educational Corporation. He is also a part-time lecturer at Tokyo City University. Co-authored "Introduction to Infrastructure" (Nikkei BP, 2017), "New Strategies from the Common Domain" (Diamond, 2021), and "40 Years After the Return" (Heibonsha, 2023). D. (Engineering).
4.3Fri 2026
Ghibli Forest Connects to Jomon and Asia: Reading "Terrestrial Forest Culture: The Depths of Japanese Culture" edited by Shumpei Kamiyama (Part 2)
*Previous column: "Civilization Theory of Forests" raised during the high-growth period Read "The Culture of Terrestrial Forests: The Depths of Japanese Culture" edited by Shumpei Ueyama ([...])
3.2Mon 2026
The "Civilization of Forests" Theory Proposed during the Period of Rapid Economic Growth: Reading "The Culture of Terrestrial Forests: The Depths of Japanese Culture" edited by Shumpei Ueyama (Part 1)
The potential natural vegetation of the Japanese archipelago is broad-leaved. The potential natural vegetation is divided into two major areas in Japan, with the mountains of the Chubu region and the Tohoku region being the summer [...].
1.23Fri 2026
Reading Akira Miyawaki's "Plants and Humans: The Balance of Biological Society" (Part 2)
*Previous column is here What happens if we leave the forest unattended... "Potential Natural Vegetation" Perspective Akira Miyawaki, "Plants and Humans: The Rose of Biological Society [...]" (in Japanese)
12.19Fri 2025
What Happens When Forests Are Left Untouched... The Perspective of "Potential Natural Vegetation" Reading Akira Miyawaki's "Plants and Humans: The Balance of the Biosphere" (Part 1)
After reading the previous work, "The Path of the Cedar" (by Tomitaro Toyama), I recalled that while the cedar (Cedrus japonica, family Cupressaceae) is unique to Japan, it is not considered part of the potential natural vegetation [...]
11.28Fri 2025
The Future of Forest Management Revealed by the Japanese Cedar That Survived Across the Japanese Archipelago Reading Tomitaro Toyama's "The Path of the Cedar: Supporting the Lives of the Japanese People" (Part 2)
※Previous column here: "Easy to Split" Cedar Built Japan: Reading Tomitaro Toyama's The Path of Cedar - Supporting the Lives of the Japanese People ( […]
11.6Thu 2025
The "easy-to-break" Japanese Cedar Built Japan: Tomitaro Toyama's "The Road Cedar Took: Supporting the Lives of Japanese People" (Part 1)
The mainstay of the "circular economy of forests" is, above all, the Japanese cedar. The area of planted forests in Japan is approximately 10 million hectares, of which 441 TP3T [...].
10.17Fri 2025
A Model for Sustainable Forest Recovery Shown by France's Diverse Selection of Tree Species Read "France, Land of Broadleaf Trees: From 'Right Tree in the Right Place' to Natural Forestry" by Hitoshi Kadowaki (Part 2)
*Previous column hereFrance, which has achieved forestry that mimics nature, to increase production of large-diameter hardwoods Hitoshi Kadowaki "France, the Land of Hardwoods - [...]
9.24Wed 2025
France, a Forestry Country that Imitates Nature, Increases Production of Large-Diameter Hardwoods Read: Hitoshi Kadowaki, France, the Land of Hardwoods: From "Right Tree in the Right Place" to Natural Forestry (Part 1)
In the book "Forestry: German Forests and Japanese Forestry" by Yukikazu Murao, which I introduced in the previous issue, you will find that in the early 17th century, Germany was suffering from timber poverty (Germany: [...]) due to over-cutting.
9.12Fri 2025
The "Japanese Spirit and Western Genius" I felt in the Meiji Shrine Forest: Reading Yukikazu Murao's "Forestry: German Forests and Japanese Forestry" (Part 2)
*Previously, three forest philosophies were formed under the influence of regional characteristics in Germany Read "Forestry: German Forests and Japanese Forestry" by Yukikazu Murao (in Japanese) [...
8.28Thu 2025
Three Forest Ideas Formed by the Influence of Germany's Regional Characteristics: Reading Yukikazu Murao's "Forestry: German Forests and Japanese Forestry" (Part 2)
*Part 1 is hereThe challenges faced by the "Hozoku" forestry philosophy, which was born in 18th century Germany, a country where forests were overgrown, are described in Yukikazu Murao's "Forestry: German Forest [...]
8.19Tue 2025
The Challenges Faced by the "Hozoku" Philosophy of Forestry Born in 18th Century Germany, a Time of Rampant Deforestation Reading "Forestry: German Forests and Japanese Forestry" by Yukikazu Murao (Part 1)
I am interested in the forestry industry in Germany. There are three reasons for this. One is that Germany is a country that has realized cultivated forestry alongside Japan. And [...].
7.28Mon 2025
Alarmed by Excessive Building Activities that Ruin Limited Forests Reading Kumazawa Bansan's "Shugi Wa Sho" and "Shugi Gaisho" (Part 2)
*Part 1 is here Kumazawa Bansan, the pioneer of Japanese forest history, was a thinker without discovery.
7.16Wed 2025
Kumazawa Bansan, Pioneer of Japanese Forest History, was a Thinker without Discovery: Reading "Shugi Wa Sho" and "Shugi Gaisho" (Part 1)
I have read three books in this column so far, trying to get an overview of the history of the Japanese people and forests. In the process, I became somewhat curious [...].
6.27Fri 2025
The Bakufu's Challenge and Failure to Achieve a Nationwide Unified Forestry Policy: Reading "Edo Gaku of Forests" by the Tokugawa Forestry History Institute (Part 2)
*Part 1 is here: Blow to Local Forest Resources through Distribution Control by Edo's Imperial Procurement Merchants Read "Edo Gaku of Forests" by Tokugawa Forestry History Institute ( [...])
6.18Wed 2025
Distribution Control by Edo Imperial Procurement Merchants Blows to Local Forest Resources: Reading "Edo Studies of Forests" by Tokugawa Forestry History Institute (Part 1)
I read Conrad Tatman's book and found that although Japan's forests were almost destroyed by overcutting in the early Edo period, our ancestors [...].
6.4Wed 2025
The 19th Century Achievement of "Nurtured Forestry" in Human History: Reading "How the Japanese Have Created Forests" by Conrad Tatman (Part 2)
*Click here for the first part, which reveals the two crises Japan has faced due to over-cutting of forests Conrad Tatman, "How the Japanese [...]...
