Dr. Michio Aoyama passed away.

Dr. Michio Aoyama passed away at 10:52 a.m. on September 5, 2022, at the University of Tsukuba Hospital due to multiple organ failure.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Dr. Aoyama and extend our sincere condolences to his wife and other bereaved family members.

Dr. Aoyama joined the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University in February 2014 as a project professor. Dr. Aoyama was engaged in research on the analysis and environmental dynamics of materials important for material circulation in seawater, especially radioactive materials, and received the Japan Geoscience Union Academic Award (Miyake Prize) for "Research on ocean circulation based on high-precision analysis and database of cesium-137" in 2014, the President's Academic Research Award of Fukushima University in 2015, the Uda Award for "International joint research on the development of nutrient standard samples and long-term wide-area observation of artificial radionuclides" from the Oceanographic Society of Japan in 2018, and the Hidaka Paper Award from the same society for his research on the migration and abundance of radioactive cesium released by the Fukushima nuclear accident in the North Pacific Ocean. In this way, he has made significant contributions to the study of material dynamics in the ocean. During his tenure at Fukushima University until March 2019, he led the research on marine radioactivity in Fukushima after the nuclear accident and has paved the way for the future in terms of research themes and chemical analysis methods from the viewpoint of fostering future generations. His numerous words based on his research and dissemination activities and experiences, such as "Never give up, create what you don't have, and leave it in writing," "Question common sense," "You will never know unless you measure," and "Think of yourself as a member of society before being a scientist," will continue to provide immense inspiration to young and mid-career researchers in other fields as well.

In Fukushima, where there is a growing concern about the issue of radiation in the ocean and the importance of oceanographic research and dissemination is increasing, we feel as if we have lost an important axis. We are not sure if we can nurture the seeds that Dr. Aoyama has planted, but with his encouragement in mind, we will continue to work steadily.