Kuniaki Iwatani
Deputy Director, Material Industries Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
Research project: International Cooperation for Marine Plastic Waste
Mr. Iwatani received his Master of Engineering degree from the University of Tokyo. At the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), he was most recently Deputy Director in the Material Industries Division. He has also served in the Environmental and Technology Office, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Division, and the Smart Community Promotion Office. During the 2019–20 academic year, Mr. Iwatani's research will analyze the factors that have motivated Japanese and U.S. companies to address environmental problems and will explore actions to address the problem of marine plastic waste.