The first female leader of a Japanese Antarctic research expedition’s wintering team has been named Mitsumu Ejiri, an assistant professor at Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research.

The 51-year-old Ejiri will lead the 67th expedition’s wintering team and serve as the expedition’s deputy head. The wintering team is expected to return to Japan in the spring of 2027 after departing for Antarctica in the fall of the following year.

At a general meeting of the integrated headquarters for the promotion of Japan’s Antarctic research on Monday, the appointment was made.

Ejiri specializes in upper atmospheric science and is a Kyoto native. She earned her doctorate at Nagoya University after graduating from Shizuoka University.

After working at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Utah State University, and Kyoto University’s Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, she joined the National Institute of Polar Research in 2009.

She was a part of the 51st Antarctic research expedition’s summer team and the 58th expedition’s wintering team.

“I think this is a mission that requires a lot of responsibility. After the general meeting on Monday, Ejiri stated, “With support from within our country, I will do my best.”

Finally, she added, Japan has reached the point where, even during the winter, Antarctic observation can be led by a chief of any gender.

Shigeru Aoki, 58, a professor at Hokkaido University, was named the 67th expedition’s leader at the meeting as well.

Meanwhile, Professor Naomi Harada, 57, of the University of Tokyo, will be in charge of the 66th expedition, which will set off for Antarctica in December of this year. She will be the first woman to lead a Japanese Antarctic research expedition.