Yoshihiro Tachibana (born 1961) is a Japanese researcher specializing in meteorology, extreme weather, and climate dynamics. Born in Hokkaido, he completed doctoral studies in science at Hokkaido University. After appointments at its Institute of Low Temperature Science, Tokai University, the University of Washington, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, he became a professor in the Graduate School of Bioresources at Mie University. His research examines interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, and sea ice, asking how changes in distant regions influence heat waves and cold spells in Japan. In collaborative work on the East Asian cold wave of winter 2017–18, he investigated connections between reduced sea ice off Alaska and meandering westerly winds. This approach considers warming through changes in atmospheric circulation as well as rising temperatures. His Japanese-language book “Ijo Kisho no Mirai Yosoku” brings this global perspective to general readers, examining increasingly frequent heat, heavy rainfall, and heavy snowfall in Japan alongside their consequences for daily life and responses to climate change. Written for younger readers, “Bokutachi wa Ijo Kisho no Sekai o Do Ikiru ka” uses the shortening of spring and autumn as an entry point into extreme weather and the fascination of meteorological research. Across his research and public writing, Tachibana connects familiar weather with processes operating across the planet, turning curiosity about the atmosphere into a basis for understanding a changing climate.
