Research Areas
- Extreme Events and Severe Environmental Exposures
- Extreme events, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Japan’s triple disasters in 2011 (earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear crisis), can expose various vulnerabilities and limitations of our existing infrastructures and healthcare systems. These massive events tend to perturb various health outcomes that they deviate from their normal patterns. We measure the influence of these events on health using advanced quasi-experimental methods in order to elicit evidence for policy- and decision-makers to facilitate effective response to such changes or similar extreme events in the future.
- Oka K, Honda Y, Phung VLH, Hijioka Y. Potential effect of heat adaptation on association between number of heatstroke patients transported by ambulance and wet bulb globe temperature in Japan. Environ Res. 2023 Jan 1;216(Pt 3):114666.
- Ortiz AM, Chua PLC, Salvador D, Dyngeland C, Albao JD, Abesamis RA. Impacts of tropical cyclones on food security, health and biodiversity. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2023;101(2):152-4.
- Murakami M, Nomura S. Annual prevalence of non-communicable diseases and identification of vulnerable populations following the Fukushima disaster and COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2023; 84: 103471.
- COVID-19 National Preparedness Collaborators (including Nomura S). Pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: an exploratory analysis of infection and fatality rates, and contextual factors associated with preparedness in 177 countries, from Jan 1, 2020, to Sept 30, 2021. The Lancet. 2022; 399(10334): 1489-512.
- Han SM, Lwin KS, Swe KT, Gilmour S, Nomura S. Military coup during COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis in Myanmar. BMJ Global Health. 2021 Apr;6(4):e005801.
- Amimo F, Lambert B, Magit A, Hashizume M. A review of prospective pathways and impacts of COVID-19 on the accessibility, safety, quality, and affordability of essential medicines and vaccines for universal health coverage in Africa. Global Health. 2021;17(1):42.
- Ozaki A, Nomura S, Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Sawano T, Tsukada M, Morita T, Tanimoto T, Saji S, Kato S, Yamaoka K, Nakata Y, Ohira H. Breast cancer provider interval length in Fukushima, Japan, after the 2011 triple disaster: a long-term retrospective study. Clinical Breast Cancer. 2020; 20(2): e127-e50.
- Nomura S, Murakami M, Naito W, Yasutaka T, Sawano T, Tsubokura M. Low dose of external exposure among returnees to former evacuation areas: a cross-sectional all-municipality joint study following the 2011 Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant incident. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2020; 40(1): 1-18.
- Takebayashi Y, Murakami M, Nomura S, Oikawa T, Tsubokura M. The trajectories of local food avoidance after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear plant disaster: A five-year prospective cohort study. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2020; 46: 101513.
- Nishikawa Y, Tsubokura M, Takahashi Y, Nomura S, Ozaki A, Kimura Y, Morita T, Sawano T, Oikawa T, Nakayama T. Change of access to emergency care in a repopulated village after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a retrospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(2): e023836.
- Tsubokura M, Murakami M, Takebayashi Y, Nomura S, Ono K, Ozaki A, Sawano T, Kobashi Y, Oikawa T. Impact of decontamination on individual radiation doses from external exposure among residents of Minamisoma city after the 2011 Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant incident in Japan: a retrospective observational study. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2019; 39(3): 854-71.
- Yamamoto K, Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Murakami M, Ozaki A, Leppold C, Sawano T, Takita M, Kato S, Kanazawa Y, Anbe H. Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma city near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(7): e023654.
- Uprety A, Ozaki A, Higuchi A, Ghimire B, Sawano T, Tsuda K, Nomura S, Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Tanimoto T, Singh YP. Long-term trends of hospital admissions among patients with cancer following the 2015 earthquake: a single institution observational study in Kathmandu, Nepal. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(6): e026746.
- Nomura S, Oikawa T, Tsubokura M. Low dose from external radiation among returning residents to the former evacuation zone in Minamisoma city, Fukushima prefecture. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2019; 39(2): 548-63.
- Nomura S (co-first), Murakami M, Tsubokura M, Takebayashi Y, Yamamoto K, Oikawa T. Radiation doses and decontamination effects in Minamisoma city: airborne and individual monitoring after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2019; 39(4): N27-N35.
- Hasegawa M, Murakami M, Nomura S, Takebayashi Y, Tsubokura M. Worsening health status among evacuees: analysis of medical expenditures after the 2011 great east Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster in Fukushima. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2019; 248(2): 115-23.
- Nomura S (co-first), Shimada Y, Ozaki A, Higuchi A, Hori A, Sonoda Y, Yamamoto K, Yoshida I, Tsubokura M. Balancing the risk of the evacuation and sheltering-in-place options: a survival study following Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident. BMJ Open. 2018; 8(7): e021482.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Yoshida I, Sawano T, Miyazaki M, Tomita S, Tomoyoshi O, Watanabe M. Comparison of external doses between radio-contaminated areas and areas with high natural terrestrial background using the individual dosimeter 'D-shuttle' 75 months after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2018; 38(1): 273-85.
- Morita T, Nomura S, Furutani T, Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Ochi S, Kami M, Kato S, Oikawa T. Demographic transition and factors associated with remaining in place after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and related evacuation orders. PLoS One. 2018; 13(3): e0194134.
- Kim Y, Gasparrini A, Hashizume M, Honda Y, Ng CFS, Armstrong B. Heat-related mortality in Japan after the 2011 Fukushima disaster: An analysis of potential influence of reduced electricity consumption. Environ Health Perspect. 2017;125(7):077005.
- Murakami M, Tsubokura M, Ono K, Nomura S, Oikawa T. Additional risk of diabetes exceeds the increased risk of cancer caused by radiation exposure after the Fukushima disaster. PLoS One. 2017; 12(9): e0185259.
- Toda H, Nomura S, Gilmour S, Tsubokura M, Oikawa T, Lee K, Kiyabu GY, Shibuya K. Assessment of medium-term cardiovascular disease risk after Japan's 2011 Fukushima daiichi nuclear accident: a retrospective analysis. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(12): e018502.
- Leppold C, Nomura S, Sawano T, Ozaki A, Tsubokura M, Hill S, Kanazawa Y, Anbe H. Birth outcomes after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant disaster: a long-term retrospective study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(5).
- Ozaki A, Nomura S, Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Tanimoto T, Yokota T, Saji S, Sawano T, Tsukada M, Morita T, Ochi S, Kato S, Kami M, Nemoto T, Kanazawa Y, Ohira H. Breast cancer patient delay in Fukushima, Japan following the 2011 triple disaster: a long-term retrospective study. BMC Cancer. 2017; 17(1): 423.
- Ozaki A, Yokota T, Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Leppold C, Tanimoto T, Miura T, Yamamoto K, Sawano T, Tsukada M, Kami M, Kanazawa Y, Ohira H. Decontamination work and the long-term increase in hospital visits for hymenoptera stings following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2017; 11(5): 545-51.
- Tokiwa S, Shimmura H, Nomura S, Watanabe R, Kurita M, Yoshida N, Yamashita K, Nishikawa Y, Kouzmenko A, Kato S. Degarelix treatment is compatible with diabetes and antithrombotic therapy in patients with prostate cancer. Research and Reports in Urology. 2017; 9: 225-32.
- Morita T, Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Leppold C, Gilmour S, Ochi S, Ozaki A, Shimada Y, Yamamoto K, Inoue M, Kato S, Shibuya K, Kami M. Excess mortality due to indirect health effects of the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan: a retrospective observational study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2017; 71(10): 974-80.
- Tsubokura M, Murakami M, Nomura S, Morita T, Nishikawa Y, Leppold C, Kato S, Kami M. Individual external doses below the lowest reference level of 1 msv per year five years after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident among all children in Soma city, Fukushima: A retrospective observational study. PLoS One. 2017; 12(2): e0172305.
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Murakami M, Hodgson S, Blangiardo M, Nishikawa Y, Morita T, Oikawa T. Towards a long-term strategy for voluntary-based internal radiation contamination monitoring: a population-level analysis of monitoring prevalence and factors associated with monitoring participation behavior in Fukushima, Japan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(4).
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Murakami M, Ono K, Nishikawa Y, Oikawa T. Towards a long-term strategy for voluntary-based internal radiation contamination monitoring: representativeness of the monitoring results in Fukushima, Japan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(6).
- Fillman T, Shimizu-Furusawa H, Ng CFS, Parajuli RP, Watanabe C. Association of cadmium and arsenic exposure with salivary telomere length in adolescents in Terai, Nepal. Environmental Research. 2016; 149: 8–14.
- Nakamura T, Hashizume M, Ueda K, Shimizu A, Takeuchi A, Kubo T, Hashimoto K, Moriuchi H, Odajima H, Kitajima T, Tashiro K, Tomimasu K, Nishiwaki Y. Asian dust and pediatric emergency visits due to bronchial asthma and respiratory diseases in Nagasaki, Japan. J Epidemiol. 2016;26(11):593-601.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Watanobe H, Nishikawa Y, Suzuki C, Ochi S, Leppold C, Kinoshita H, Kato S, Saito Y. Assessment of nutritional status of iodine through urinary iodine screening among local children and adolescents after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Thyroid. 2016; 26(12): 1778-85.
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Furutani T, Hayano RS, Kami M, Kanazawa Y, Oikawa T. Dependence of radiation dose on the behavioral patterns among school children: a retrospective analysis 18 to 20 months following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan. Journal of Radiation Research. 2016; 57(1): 1-8.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Sakaihara K, Kato S, Leppold C, Furutani T, Morita T, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Estimated association between dwelling soil contamination and internal radiation contamination levels after the 2011 Fukushima daiichi nuclear accident in Japan. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(6): e010970.
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Gilmour S, Hayano RS, Watanabe YN, Kami M, Kanazawa Y, Oikawa T. An evaluation of early countermeasures to reduce the risk of internal radiation exposure after the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan. Health Policy and Planning. 2016; 31(4): 425-33.
- Morita T, Tsubokura M, Furutani T, Nomura S, Ochi S, Leppold C, Takahara K, Shimada Y, Fujioka S, Kami M, Kato S, Oikawa T. Impacts of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident on emergency medical service times in Soma district, Japan: a retrospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(9): e013205.
- Ishii T, Tsubokura M, Ochi S, Kato S, Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Nishikawa Y, Kami M, Shibuya K, Saito Y, Iwamoto Y, Tachiya H. Living in contaminated radioactive areas Is not an acute risk factor for noncommunicable disease development: a retrospective observational study. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2016; 10(1): 34-7.
- Sawano T, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Leppold C, Nomura S, Shimada Y, Ochi S, Tsukada M, Nemoto T, Kato S, Kanazawa Y, Ohira H. Non-communicable diseases in decontamination workers in areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster: a retrospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(12): e013885.
- Nomura S, Blangiardo M, Tsubokura M, Nishikawa Y, Gilmour S, Kami M, Hodgson S. Post-nuclear disaster evacuation and survival amongst elderly people in Fukushima: A comparative analysis between evacuees and non-evacuees. Preventive Medicine. 2016; 82: 77-82.
- Nomura S, Blangiardo M, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Morita T, Hodgson S. Postnuclear disaster evacuation and chronic health in adults in Fukushima, Japan: a long-term retrospective analysis. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(2): e010080.
- Nomura S, Blangiardo M, Tsubokura M, Ochi S, Hodgson S. School restrictions on outdoor activities and weight status in adolescent children after Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster: a mid-term to long-term retrospective analysis. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(9): e013145.
- Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Nomura S, Shimada Y, Morita T, Ochi S, Tanimoto T, Kami M, Kanazawa Y, Oikawa T, Hill S. Sociodemographic patterning of long-term diabetes mellitus control following Japan's 3.11 triple disaster: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(7): e011455.
- Takahashi N, Nakao R, Ueda K, Ono M, Kondo M, Honda Y, Hashizume M. Community trial on heat related-illness prevention behaviors and knowledge for the elderly. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015;12(3):3188–214.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, Morita T, Sugimoto A, Gilmour S, Kami M, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Absence of internal radiation contamination by radioactive cesium among children affected by the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Health Physics. 2015; 108(1): 39-43.
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Hayano R, Furutani T, Yoneoka D, Kami M, Kanazawa Y, Oikawa T. Comparison between direct measurements and modeled estimates of external radiation exposure among school children 18 to 30 months after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Environmental Science & Technology. 2015; 49(2): 1009-16.
- Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Hayano R, Yoneoka D, Ozaki A, Shimada Y, Furutani T, Kanazawa Y, Oikawa T. Compliance with the proper use of an individual radiation dosimeter among children and the effects of improper use on the measured dose: a retrospective study 18-20 months. following Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident. BMJ Open. 2015; 5(12): e009555.
- Nishikawa Y, Fukuda Y, Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, Saito Y. Managing type 2 diabetes mellitus through periodical hospital visits in the aftermath of the great east Japan earthquake disaster: a retrospective case series. PLoS One. 2015; 10(5): e0125632.
- Shimmura H, Tsubokura M, Kato S, Akiyama J, Nomura S, Mori J, Tanimoto T, Abe SK, Sakai S, Kawaguchi H, Tokiwa M. Whole body counter assessment of internal radiocontamination in patients with end-stage renal disease living in areas affected by the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant disaster: a retrospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2015; 5(12): e009745.
- Ng CFS, Ueda K, Takeuchi A, Nitta H, Konishi S, Bagrowicz R, Watanabe C, Takami A. Socio-geographic variation in the effects of heat and cold on daily mortality in Japan. Journal of Epidemiology. 2014;24(1):15-24.
- Ng CFS, Ueda K, Ono M, Nitta H, Takami A. Characterizing the effect of summer temperature on heat-stroke-related emergency ambulance dispatches in the Kanto area of Japan. International Journal of Biometeorology. 2014 Jul;58(5):941-8.
- Yoneoka D, Hisashige A, Ota E, Miyamoto K, Nomura S, Segawa M, Gilmour S, Shibuya K. Are Japanese randomized controlled trials up to the task? A systematic review. PLoS One. 2014; 9(3): e90127.
- Sugimoto A, Gilmour S, Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Kami M, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y, Shibuya K. Assessment of the risk of medium-term internal contamination in Minamisoma city, Fukushima, Japan, after the Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear accident. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2014; 122(6): 587-93.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Ishii T, Kami M, Kato S. Detection of 131I in a patient with thyroid cancer by internal radiation exposure screening using a whole-body counter in Fukushima. Clinical Nuclear Medicine. 2014; 39(3): 281-2.
- Tsubokura M, Hara K, Matsumura T, Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Hinata M, Shibuya K, Kami M. The immediate physical and mental health crisis in residents proximal to the evacuation zone after Japan's nuclear disaster: an observational pilot study. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2014; 8(1): 30-6.
- Hayano RS, Watanabe YN, Nomura S, Nemoto T, Tsubokura M, Hanai T, Kumemoto Y, Kowata S, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Whole-body counter survey results 4 months after the Fukushima dai-ichi NPP accident in Minamisoma city, Fukushima. Journal of Radiological Protection. 2014; 34(4): 787-99.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nihei M, Sakuma Y, Furutani T, Uehara K, Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Hayano R, Kami M, Watanobe H, Endo Y. Limited internal radiation exposure associated with resettlements to a radiation-contaminated homeland after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear disaster. PLoS One. 2013; 8(12): e81909.
- Tsubokura M, Nihei M, Sato K, Masaki S, Sakuma Y, Kato S, Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Matsumura T, Miyazaki M, Hayano R, Shibuya K, Kami M, Sasaki T. Measurement of internal radiation exposure among decontamination workers in villages near the crippled Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. Health Physics. 2013; 105(4): 379-81.
- Nomura S, Gilmour S, Tsubokura M, Yoneoka D, Sugimoto A, Oikawa T, Kami M, Shibuya K. Mortality risk amongst nursing home residents evacuated after the Fukushima nuclear accident: a retrospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2013; 8(3): e60192.
- Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Matsumura T, Muto K, Sato M, Gilmour S. The relationship between media consumption and health-related anxieties after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear disaster. PLoS One. 2013; 8(8): e65331.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, Gilmour S, Nihei M, Sakuma Y, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y, Kami M, Hayano R. Reduction of high levels of internal radio-contamination by dietary intervention in residents of areas affected by the Fukushima daiichi nuclear plant disaster: a case series. PLoS One. 2013; 8(3): e60192.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Morita T, Nomura S, Kami M, Sakaihara K, Hanai T, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Assessment of the annual additional effective doses amongst Minamisoma children during the second year after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. PLoS One. 2013; 8(3): e60192.
- Murakami M, Ono K, Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Oikawa T, Oka T, Kami M, Oki T. Was the risk from nursing-home evacuation after the Fukushima accident higher than the radiation risk? PLoS One. 2013; 8(8): e65331.
- Milojevic A, Armstrong B, Hashizume M, McAllister K, Faruque ASG, Yunus M, Streatfield PK, Moji K, Wilkinson P. Health effects of flooding in rural Bangladesh. Epidemiology. 2012;23:107-115.
- Sugimoto A, Krull S, Nomura S, Morita T, Tsubokura M. The voice of the most vulnerable: lessons from the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2012; 90(8): 629-30.
- Hashizume M, Wagatsuma Y, Faruque ASG, Hayashi T, Paul R. Hunter, Armstrong B, Sack DA. Factors determining vulnerability to diarrhoea during and after severe floods in Bangladesh. J Water Health. 2008;6:323–332.