Dr Nobuhiko Ban

Nobuhiko Ban obtained both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health sciences from the University of Tokyo. In 1988, he embarked on a career in individual radiation monitoring of nuclear workers at the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation. Subsequently, he returned to the University of Tokyo as a research associate to pursue a Ph.D. in medical sciences. Following his tenure at Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences (1998–2011) and Tokyo Healthcare University (2011–2015), he joined the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) as a commissioner and served for ten years. Currently, he is acting as an advisor to the NRA.

Throughout his academic career, Dr. Ban conducted extensive research on radiation exposure and its health effects. His research focused on radiation damage to mouse hematopoietic cells in the context of leukemogenesis. Additionally, he engaged in dose and risk assessment of radiation exposure in the medical field. Beyond his research endeavors, Dr. Ban has dedicated a long career in education and training about radiation risk and radiological protection. He actively engaged with various stakeholders, including university students, medical professionals, nuclear workers, police officers, and local officials. His commitment encompassed risk communication activities following the accident at Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. He was appointed as an advisor to Iitate Village, where residents were ordered to relocate. He also served as the chair of the Steering Committee for the Question-and-Answer Website of the Japan Health Physics Society, which addressed a total of 1,870 public inquiries over three years.

As the commissioner of the NRA, Dr. Ban demonstrated strong leadership in addressing a wide range of challenges. These included the development of a comprehensive emergency preparedness and response strategy, the oversight of the decommissioning process at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the intensive inspections of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station for the licensee’s corrective actions following a series of security incidents, the formulation of a regulatory framework for intermediate depth disposal of radioactive waste, the revision of radiation source regulations to augment emergency preparedness and security measures, and the enhancement and improvement of environmental radiation monitoring.

Dr Ban has made a substantial contribution to international activities. He served as a member of Japanese delegation to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) from 2010 to 2015, including a role as a Technical Advisor for the preparation of the ‘2013 Fukushima Report’. He joined the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) initially as a member of Committee 1 (2013–2017), transitioned to Committee 4 (2017–2025), and is currently a member of the Main Commission. He has been involved in five Task Groups for ICRP, including the chairs of Task Group 102 on Radiation Detriment Calculation Methodology and Task Group 124 on Application of the Principle of Justification. Furthermore, he led discussions on leadership and safety culture from a regulatory perspective as the chair of relevant working groups of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA) from 2017 to 2025.