Dr Nobuhiko Ban

Nobuhiko Ban received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health sciences from the University of Tokyo. Following a five-year career in individual radiation monitoring of nuclear workers at Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation, he returned to the University of Tokyo as a research associate and earned a PhD in medical sciences in 1998. After working at Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences (1998–2011) and Tokyo Healthcare University (2011–2015), he was appointed to be a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) and served until 2025.

During his academic career, Dr Ban made extensive research into radiation exposure and its effects. Specifically, he conducted research on radiation damage to mouse hematopoietic cells in the context of leukemogenesis. He also engaged in dose and risk assessment of radiation exposure in medicine. In addition to the research work, he has a long career in education and training about radiation risk and radiological protection. He reached out to various parties, such as university students, medical personnel, nuclear workers, police officers and local officials. He was also involved in risk communication activities following the accident at Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. They include an advisory role for Iitate Village, where residents were ordered to relocate, and the chair of Steering Committee for the Question-and-Answer Website of Japan Health Physics Society, which addressed a total of 1,870 questions from the public in three years.

As the commissioner of the NRA, he demonstrated strong leadership in various challenges. They include development of a concrete strategy of emergency preparedness and response, oversight of the decommissioning work at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, development of regulatory framework for intermediate depth disposal for radioactive waste, revision of radiation source regulations to strengthen emergency response measures and security measures, and improvement and enhancement of environmental radiation monitoring.

Dr Ban has made a significant contribution in 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) first as a member of Committee 1 (2013–2017), moved to Committee 4 (2017–2025), and is currently a member of 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. He also 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.