Abstract

“Isn’t there an error in this data?”
During the world’s largest-scale field test conducted in the waters off Ainan Town, Ehime Prefecture, a new discovery left all researchers in disbelief. “Nylon is not biodegradable”—this long-held conventional wisdom in the chemical world, found even in university textbooks, had been overturned. The author, Kozo Ito, is a world-renowned authority in polymer chemistry who has been at the forefront of polymer and plastic research at the University of Tokyo for over 40 years. He currently leads two national projects promoted by the Cabinet Office. This book presents the full picture of this Japanese innovation born at the forefront of that research.
■ A Major Discovery to Save the Ocean
It is said that 12 million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year, and that the cumulative amount of waste in the ocean already exceeds 300 million tons. Particularly serious is the problem of “ghost fishing,” where discarded fishing lines and nets continue to trap marine life. As a solution, the research team led by the author is working on the development of “marine-biodegradable plastics” that can be broken down by marine bacteria. Field tests have confirmed that a material copolymerized from nylon 6 and nylon 66—previously considered “non-degradable”—in a specific ratio is biodegradable in the ocean.
■The Battle to Protect Japan’s Core Industries
Another challenge is the resource recycling of waste plastics. The EU has introduced the “European ELV Regulation,” which mandates the use of a certain percentage of recycled plastic materials in automobile manufacturing. If the current situation persists, it will become difficult for Japanese automakers to export new vehicles to the EU. In the industry-government-academia project led by the author, the first step is to improve the quality of recycled plastic materials in the automotive sector and establish a circular system spanning design, production, use, recovery, and recycling, with plans to expand this approach to other industries thereafter.
■ Easy to Understand Even for Humanities Students
Chapter 3 of this book includes “A Super-Introductory Guide to Polymer Chemistry for Humanities Students.” It is structured so that readers can follow along to the end even without specialized knowledge of chemistry.

We cannot return to a society without plastics. However, if we allow the current situation to continue, the Earth will be overwhelmed by plastic waste. How should we confront this crisis using Japan’s science, technology, and wisdom? Kozo Ito, a leading authority on polymer research and Special Professor at the University of Tokyo, outlines a roadmap toward a hopeful future pioneered by Japan.

Author’s Information

Special Professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, and Fellow at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). Completed his doctoral program at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, in 1986. Joined the Textile and Polymer Materials Research Institute of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Appointed Lecturer at the University of Tokyo in 1991, Associate Professor in 1994, and Professor in 2003. Became a Fellow at NIMS in 2023 and assumed his current position in April 2024. From FY2014 to FY2018, he served as Program Manager for the Cabinet Office’s Innovative Research and Development Promotion Program (ImPACT). In FY2020, he assumed the role of Project Manager (PM) for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)’s Moonshot R&D Program. Served as Chairman of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan from 2022 to 2024. Appointed Program Director (PD) for the Cabinet Office’s Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) in fiscal year 2023. Under the Moonshot initiative, he is engaged in the research and development of marine biodegradable plastics, and under SIP, he is working on the establishment of a circular economy system in the plastics sector.