Following his graduation from the Faculty of Engineering at Fukuoka University in 1972, Sotaro Higuchi worked as a construction consultant planning and designing a MSW landfill. After obtaining a doctoral degree in engineering at Kyushu University, since 2001 he has been a professor in the Graduate School of Engineering, Fukuoka University, and is the director of Institute for resource recycling and environmental Controll system, Fukuoka University. The focus of his study is waste management, and his main research areas are landfills of incineration residue, desalination treatment of leachate, regeneration of landfill sites, recycling of by-product salts, and related topics. Dr. Higuchi is the chief director of the Environment Technology Network and a member of the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management. He received the Minister of the Environment Award for contributions in research and development of waste and wastewater treatment facilities in 2014.