Interview Notes

The TAKEUCHI Laboratory at the School of Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo, is currently engaged in an ambitious research exchange project as part of the NEXUS Young Talents Exchange Program (Y-tec), collaborating with four faculty members and eight undergraduate students from the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Laos.

In Laos, many regions outside the urban centers still lack access to electricity. To ensure a stable power supply, the country is promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources beyond hydropower. Among these, solar power is particularly promising, as it can supply electricity to independent communities without the need for large-scale equipment installations—well-suited to Laos’s circumstances and offering significant future potential. However, there is a severe shortage of domestic engineers with expertise in DC power systems, which are essential for solar power generation. Additionally, industrial and agricultural development has caused serious river pollution. There are high expectations for utilizing surplus electricity from solar power for plasma-based water treatment technologies, but there are still no domestic researchers specialized in plasma engineering who can provide guidance.

This project aims to introduce advanced plasma-based water treatment technologies and DC power system expertise—areas of strength for the TAKEUCHI Laboratory—into the renewable energy research at the National University of Laos. The goal is to achieve synergistic effects that contribute to solving social issues in Laos.

Dr. TAKEUCHI Nozomi, the principal implementer, has been participating since 2020 in the JICA “Project to Strengthen the Engineering Education System at the National University of Laos,” actively deepening research exchanges with faculty members at the National University of Laos, including conducting demonstrations of plasma-based water treatment. The “Advanced Water Treatment Technology Using Plasma” has become a graduation research project theme at the National University of Laos, attracting strong interest from many students. Among these students, especially outstanding third- and fourth-year students recommended by faculty members are participating in the Y-tec project this time.

The reason why the project specifically chose undergraduate students instead of graduate students is because, in Laos, it’s quite uncommon for students to go on to graduate school after finishing university. Most students who want to earn a master’s degree usually start working for companies—such as power utilities—and try to study while working. Also, academic research opportunities in Laos are limited, and there are currently no doctoral programs available domestically. Dr. TAKEUCHI told us that one of the long-term goals of this project is to help raise the level of academic research at the National University of Laos, so that advanced programs such as doctoral courses can be established in the future.

The project is planned to invite Laotian faculty and undergraduate students to Japan twice. The first group came in December 2024, where they practiced ozone generation techniques and continued their experiments back in Laos while keeping in touch online.

For the second invitation, held in May 2025, the content was further developed, and experiments on temperature control for plasma generation were conducted. On the interview day, the Laotian undergraduate students gave presentations on the data obtained from previous experiments. The results were reportedly very interesting, and the discussions with the TAKEUCHI Laboratory members were highly engaging.

Additionally, the Laotian participants paid close attention to explanations by the TAKEUCHI Laboratory graduate students about DC circuit breaker experiments, as well as a presentation by Assistant Prof. Dr. FUJII Yusuke from the CHIBA/KIYOTA Laboratory on the same floor, describing innovative motors that contribute to energy saving and greenhouse gas reduction.

Dr. TAKEUCHI and his graduate students plan to visit Laos next month to check the progress of ongoing research there.

When asked about future prospects, the Laotian faculty members responded, “Our research has been greatly improved by the new knowledge and technologies acquired from Japan. We hope to take advantage of this opportunity and develop even more fulfilling joint research step by step.” Furthermore, the undergraduate students expressed their positive intentions, saying, “If I can get the chance after graduation, I would like to study in Japan.”

The project also includes Mr. Anouphab Xonelatha (nickname: Mr. Pao), a Laotian international student at the TAKEUCHI Laboratory who is working towards a Ph.D. Mr. Pao, who was a faculty member with a master’s degree at the National University of Laos in 2020, met Dr. TAKEUCHI through the JICA project and decided to pursue doctoral studies at the Institute of Science Tokyo. “I was especially interested in plasma research, so I wanted to study at the TAKEUCHI Laboratory,” said Mr. Pao. After earning his doctorate, he may become a key person who encourages students in Laos to pursue master's or doctoral programs at Japanese universities from his position as a faculty member in his home country.

Dr. TAKEUCHI remarked that there is much to learn from research led by the National University of Laos faculty members that addresses local needs, and that exploring what can be achieved by combining this with plasma research at his laboratory is very enjoyable.

This project is expected to become a highly valuable initiative for both Japan and Laos, and a good model for establishing “talent circulation.”