Yoji Ishikawa

Obayashi Corporation • Lead Expert

Dr. Yoji Ishikawa announced the Space Elevator construction concept in 2012 and has since promoted research and development, international collaboration, and public outreach to realize it. He serves as Co-Chair of the IAA Space Elevator Committee, launched this year. For Dr. Ishikawa, the Space Elevator is an indispensable infrastructure for humanity’s expansion into space, the establishment of logistics networks, and space exploration and resource extraction. Dr. Ishikawa’s research career began around the time when Dr. Jerome Pearson published his groundbreaking paper on the Space Elevator in Acta Astronautica. Dr. Ishikawa’s research themes to date span the origins of life and the relevant substances in interstellar clouds and within the Solar System; the construction of living spaces on the Moon and Mars; Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS); space agriculture; space elevator; and Earth environmental engineering. In brief, Dr. Ishikawa’s interests lie in “Life in Space” across the past, present, and future. Here, “Life” encompasses both biological “life” and human “living,” and “Space” includes both “outer space” and “space” in the sense of physical environments. After earning his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and at NASA Ames Research Center. He subsequently joined Obayashi Corporation, where he has engaged in space-related projects.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2026

5 - 9 October 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2025

29 September - 3 October 2025

Sydney, Australia

Participation: