Japanese women chemists

Katsuko Saruhashi (猿橋 勝子, Saruhashi Katsuko, March 22, 1920 – September 29, 2007) was a Japanese geochemist who created tools that let her take some of the first measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in seawater. She later showed evidence of the dangers of radioactive fallout and how far it can travel. Along with this focus on safety, she also researched peaceful uses of nuclear power.

Michiyo Tsujimura (辻村みちよ, 17 September 1888 – 1 June 1969) was a Japanese agricultural scientist and biochemist whose research focused on the components of green tea. She was the first woman in Japan to receive a doctoral degree in agriculture.

Reiko Kuroda (黒田 玲子, Kuroda Reiko, born October 7, 1947) is a Japanese chemist who is a professor at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo.

Keiko Nishikawa (Japanese: ニシカワ ケイコ, born 27 November 1948) is a Japanese physical chemist known for her studies of supercritical fluids. She is an emeritus professor at Chiba University and research fellow at the Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute.

Chika Kuroda (黒田チカ; 24 March 1884 – 8 November 1968) was a Japanese chemist whose research focused on natural pigments. She was the first woman in Japan to receive a Bachelor of Science.

Kyoko Nozaki (野崎 京子, Nozaki Kyōko, born 9 February 1964) is a Japanese chemist and Professor of Chemistry at University of Tokyo in Japan.

Ume (Umeko) Tange (1873-1955) was one of the first three women admitted to a Japanese university, in 1913. She had previously studied at a women's college. After graduating from university, she traveled to the US to study, gaining a PhD in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1927, one of the first Japanese women awarded a doctorate in science. Tange returned to Japan to teach and do further research at RIKEN, studying vitamins, especially vitamin B2. She gained a second doctorate, in agricultural science, in 1940, from Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo).

Maki Kawai (川合眞紀, Kawai Maki) is a Japanese chemist who developed spatially selective single-molecule spectroscopy. In 2018, she became the first woman to become president of the Chemical Society of Japan.

Taneko Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木たね子, 12 November 1926 – 24 April 2020) was a Japanese biochemist and nutritionist who was an expert in protein chemistry and development of foods from fish proteins. Her work on transforming pollock into a hamburger-like substance received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in 1980. She was also honored with the Achievement in Processing and Technology Award of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science in 1980, and the Director's Medal from the Japan Science and Technology Agency Commissioner in 1985.

Professor Akiko Kobayashi (小林 昭子, Kobayashi Akiko, born 1943) is a Japanese chemist born in Tokyo. She is the designer and creator of Ni(tmdt)2, the world's first single-component molecular metal.