Koju Nishizawa

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About

Koju Nishizawa is a leading robotics engineer specializing in nuclear decommissioning, with a primary focus on the hazardous environments of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS). His research centers on developing and deploying remote-controlled robotic systems for radiation mapping, contamination survey, and hazardous material removal in post-accident scenarios. Nishizawa’s most notable contribution is his pioneering work combining human and remotely-controlled robots to survey the No.3 reactor building, where his team discovered highly contaminated puddles outside the apparatus hatch—a critical finding that indicated potential cooling water leakage from the Primary Containment Vessel (PCV). This work, published in 2017 with 12 citations, provided essential data for subsequent decommissioning strategies. More recently, Nishizawa has advanced the field with his development of a specialized Zeolite Removal Robot (2024), designed to safely transfer high-dose zeolite from basement floors to prevent potential water outflow during tsunami events. His innovative approach to robotic intervention in extreme radiation environments has been instrumental in enabling safe, remote operations where human access is impossible, directly supporting Japan’s long-term decommissioning efforts at Fukushima.