Kotaro Shimizu completed his Master of Science degree from Waseda University, Japan in 2002. He joined UFJ Research Institute (present organization: Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting), a policy institute in Japan, as an analyst of environment and energy field in that year, was promoted to the chief analyst of the resource and energy field in 2010 and is working as the section leader of the resource and energy division. He and his staff have completed more than 200 reports to governmental and private organizations in the fields of mining, smelting, manufacturing, waste management and recycling.