The University of Tokyo · Environmental Science
Professor Maiko Sakamoto's research lab focuses on socio-environmental challenges in developing regions, with a strong emphasis on sustainable development, environmental governance, and community resilience. The lab investigates critical issues such as industrial pollution in Bangladesh’s textile sector, the socio-ecological impacts of refugee crises, and the role of social capital in urban slum development. Using interdisciplinary methods—including remote sensing, systems modeling, and behavioral analysis—the lab aims to generate actionable insights for policy and community-based interventions.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The textile industry in Bangladesh has been a great engine for boosting economic growth in the country. However, with great success came environmental deterioration. Untreated effluents containing heavy metals are being released into rivers from nearby factories, affecting the health of people who live along the polluted rivers. The existing law in Bangladesh, requiring such factories to install an effluent treatment plant (ETP), has not been effective in reducing environmental noncompliance. Th
Bangladesh is one of the high-risk countries of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent losses due to social and economic conditions. There is a significant possibility that economic stagnation would push a large population back into poverty. In the present study, we have reviewed the chronology and epidemiology of COVID-19 in Bangladesh and investigated the country’s vulnerabilities concerning COVID-19 impacts. We focused primarily on four areas of vulnerabilities in Bangladesh: The garment in
The Rohingya refugee influx to Bangladesh in 2017 was a historical incident; the number of refugees was so massive that significant impacts to local communities was inevitable. The Bangladesh government provided land in a preserved area for constructing makeshift camps for the refugees. Previous studies have revealed the land cover changes and impacts of the refugee influx around campsites, especially with regard to local forest resources. Our aim is to establish a convenient approach of providi
The graph model for conflict resolution is used to formally analyze an ongoing conflict between India and Bangladesh over the regulation of the Ganges River in order to illustrate the crucial role a Third Party can play in resolving the dispute. Because a Third Party can assist in resolving a dispute in a variety of ways, a general systems approach to conflict management with a Third Party is devised. The strategic analysis of the India/Bangladesh conflict using the graph model clearly shows tha
Skin care may help improve cutaneous self-body image and positive emotion in aging female residents of Japanese nursing homes.
Abstract This study examined the multifaceted nature of Social Capital (SC) in community development projects by using Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) interventions in three urban Bangladeshi slums as a case study. Despite its recognized importance, the ambiguity surrounding SC has led to mixed outcomes, necessitating a more theorized approach to quantitatively assess SC. To address this, a comprehensive methodology was developed, specifically crafted for a community development context an
Coastal areas of Bangladesh have been facing increasing salinity of surface water and groundwater. This study provides the approximate scope of the problem in a coastal area of southeastern Bangladesh by using less-accurate, but lower-cost salinity measuring devices that enable local people to assess the situation. Ten local women were employed to monitor 10 tube wells each on a weekly basis, from mid-February to mid-May, during the 2016 dry season. Geographical Information System and time serie
Recently, a substantial increase in gallbladder cancer (GBC) cases has been reported in Bihar, India. The region's groundwater can naturally contain harmful concentrations of arsenic, which appears to be epidemiologically linked to the unusually high incidence. However, the root causes remain largely unexplored. Recent findings of uranium in the state's groundwater may also have associations. This study investigates the geo-spatial epidemiology of GBC in Bihar, India-with a focus on the correlat
The number of people who have been forcibly displaced has increased steadily over the past decade. The recent Rohingya refugee exodus of an estimated 700,000 individuals surging into Bangladesh from Myanmar is just one example of this growing issue. Refugees generally affect the economic and social conditions and the local environment where they resettle. This study aims to examine the impacts of the Rohingya refugee influx on livelihood choice and income status in the host community as well as
A survey was conducted in an As-affected village of Bangladesh-the first discovery of As contamination in the country-to assess the current situation and how implementation activities have worked to mitigate the problem. The As testing showed that the levels were less than the Bangladesh standard (50 µg/L) in all shallow tube-wells throughout the village. The questionnaire survey was conducted in the village as well as a neighboring As-affected village for comparison. The results revealed that t
バングラデシュにおいて地下水のヒ素汚染が問題となっている．ヒ素汚染の発見以来，安全な飲料水を供給すべく様々な代替技術が導入されてきた．しかし，現地に導入された技術も住民に受容されず放置されることが少なくない．そして，現在多くの地域で多くの住民は点在する安全な水源に大きな負担を感じながらも毎日通って水運びを行っていたり，あるいはヒ素汚染を認知しながらなおも汚染された近場の井戸の水を飲み続けていたりする．本研究では，技術的には減災が十分に可能ながらも改善されていないバングラデシュのヒ素汚染問題を，現地社会環境と深く結びついた災害として認識し，この関連に着目しながら，問題の明確化，調査，分析を経て現地の住民が受容可能な計画代替案の設計を行うための計画プロセスを示す．特に本研究では社会環境システム論的な視点から，現地住民の水資源選択行動を説明するために，安全な飲料水入手のための潜在能力と水運びストレスという2つの概念を導入し，これらを計量化するためのモデルを作成する．そして，これらのモデルを用いたヒ素汚染災害軽減のための水利施設整備計画を示す．
A social conflict often occurs during the course of a large‐scale and long‐term project such as infrastructure development projects, in which multiple parties are involved. Not only do possible gains and losses of interested parties likely conflict with each other, but also their attitudes towards the project may change dynamically over time. A mathematical model was developed to analyze this process. One part of the model is the attitude change model, which describes attitude change processes a
The research is devoted to investigation of the water allocation rule effectiveness in Euphrates - Tigris River basin in Iraq with regard to behavior of a reservoir operator and farmers. The information about water supply to the farmers in a coming year is provided to them by the reservoir operator. Thus they may assume that the reservoir operator does not communicate to them with 100 % certainty the real type of future water supply. Consequently, the farmers have good reasons not to fully trust
一般に, 大規模開発においては, 計画並びに建設期間が長期化する。そして, この間に, 住民の価値観が変化してしまい, 当初の計画が完成時には住民の要望とはかけ離れてしまうといったことが, しばしば見受けられる。つまり, 大規模開発計画は自己矛盾を内包しているということである。このような認識のもとで, 本研究では, 価値観の変化を態度変化関数という形でモデル化する。態度変化関数は, プレイヤー同士の相互に及ぼしあう影響を記述する相互影響モデルと, 人の忘却の時間的変化を記述する忘却モデルからなる。本モデルと安定性分析の一手法であるコンフリクト解析とを合わせて用いることによって, 時間軸を考慮した循環的なアルゴリズムによるコンフリクトの展開過程の分析が可能となる。そして, 本モデルを長良川河口堰問題に適用し, モデルの適応性を見る。
Generally, it is a difficult problem to adjust different claims of different interested parties in the process of large-scale and long-term infrastructure development project. Various parties are often in a social conflict with each other concerning their gain and loss that are brought about by the project. Such a social conflict is sometimes observed in a water resource development project that aims at construction of a dam, a river mouth weir, a reservoir, an irrigation canal and so on.Game th
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