Currently the Laboratory Manager at the Food Research Department, Yakult Central Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Joined Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. in 2003, and performed the research on the gut microbiota and its role in human health and disease. Was assigned to Yakult Honsha European Research Center for Microbiology (YHER) in Belgium as Senior Researcher from 2013 until 2018. There worked on the research to evaluate the effects of probiotics on the regulation of gut function, and conducted clinical trials intended to substantiate health claim on probiotics in the EU. Received PhD degree in Veterinary Science from The University of Tokyo. Major research topics today are human gut microbiota, probiotics, and their roles in the gut–brain interaction.