Akira Yoshino General Manager of Asahi Kasei Corp. Address : 2-1, Samejima, Fuji, Shizuoka 416- 8501 Japan E-mail : yoshino.ab@om.asahi-kasei.co.jp URL : http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/r_and_d/interview/yoshino/profile.html

Expertise : Akira Yoshino earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering from the Department of Petroleum Chemistry at Kyoto University in 1970 and 1972, respectively. After graduation, he joined the research organization of Asahi Kasei Corp. in Kawasaki, Japan, where he engaged in research on functional polymers and electronic materials. In 1981, he started research focusing on high-energy-density secondary batteries. In 1985, he invented a new C/LiCoO2 battery system, which later became known as the lithium-ion battery (LIB). In 1992, he moved to A&T Battery Corp., a joint venture between Asahi Kasei and Toshiba for commercial LIB manufacturing. In 1996, he returned to Asahi Kasei and continued further LIB research. He is now an Asahi Kasei Fellow as well as General Manager of the company’s Yoshino Laboratory.