Dr. Kurokawa received a MD degree in 1962 from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine. Following clinical training in internal medicine and then in nephrology at the Department of Medicine of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine (1962-1969), he was research associate, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1969-1971), senior research fellow at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and UCLA School of Medicine (1971-1973), assistant professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine (1973-1974), associate professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California (1974-1977), and UCLA School of Medicine (1977-1979), then professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine (1979-1984). He was then appointed associate professor, Department of Medicine (IV) of the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine (1983-1989) and professor and chairman, Department of Medicine (I) of the University of Tokyo (1989-1996). He assumed Dean and Professor of Medicine of Tokai University School of Medicine (1996-2002) and Director of the Institute of Medicine Sciences, Tokai University (1996-2004). He was Professor, Research Institute of Science and Technology, Tokai University (2004-2006) as well as Adjunct Professor, the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo (2004-2007).
Dr. Kurokawa has served and serves as executive officer to many prestigious professional societies including the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine (chairman of the Board, 1990-1993, and President, 1995-1996), the International Society of Nephrology (councilor, 1991-1995, President-Elect, 1995-1997, and President 1997-1999), the Japanese Society of Nephrology (councilor and board member, 1990-2003, president, 1993-1994, Chairman of the Board of Directors, 1997-2001). He was President of the International Congress of Internal Medicine in May, Kyoto (2000-2002) and President-elect of the International Society of Internal Medicine (2003-2005), then declined to assume Presidency due to an unexpected appointment as Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Japanese Government in 2006 and served until 2008. Dr. Kurokawa is board certified in internal medicine and its subspecialty in nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and Master of the American College of Physicians, and Founding Governor of the Japan Chapter of American College of Physicians (2004-2011). He is an elected member of many prestigious professional societies including Science Council of Japan (Vice President, 2000-2003, and President, 2003-2006), Member of InterAcademy Panel (2001-2006), and InterAcademy Council (2001-2006), American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of the USA. He also served commissioner of WHO (2005-09) and a Board Member to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore (2007-2011), Member of Board of Trustees of Biobliotheca Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt (2006-2010) and of Khalifa University of Science and Technology of Abu Dhabi Government (2008-present), Member of the President’s Council, New York Academy of Sciences (2006-present), the University of Tokyo (2006-present), UNU (United Nations University) Honorary Advisory Committee (HAC), Tokyo, Japan (2007-present), the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC), Malaysia (2011-present), International Advisory Board Member, Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Tohoku University (2014-present), a member of G8 World Dementia Council by the UK Government (2014-present), International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, JBL Center for Radiation Sciences (2015-present) and the advisory board of Elsevier Atlas (2015-present).
Dr. Kurokawa is well known in his professional community both nationally and internationally. Because of his highly unique and unusual professional careers which span over 15 years each in both Japan and USA, he has been a leader in and an advocate for many academic and professional activities in Japan. He is a recipient of Order of Purple from the Government of Japan for Excellence in Academic Achievements (1999), Order Legion de Honour of the Government of France (2009), Person of the Year of the American Chamber of Commerce of Japan (2010), the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star (2011 Spring), AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility (2012) and of ‘100 Top Global Thinkers’ of Foreign Policy (2012).