Expert profile
Kotaro Yoshimura, MD, PhD
Professor and Chairman, Department of Plastic Surgery, Jichi Medical University · Technical Advisor, GINZA NOA CLINIC
Prof. Yoshimura is one of the researchers who established adipose-derived stem cell science. In 2006 he reported cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL), the technique that made it practical to concentrate a patient’s own adipose-derived stem cells during fat grafting — now used in dozens of countries.
At a glance
Professor and Chairman, Department of Plastic Surgery, Jichi Medical University (since 2015). Previously Lecturer in Plastic Surgery at the University of Tokyo.
MD, University of Tokyo (1985). PhD in Medicine, University of Tokyo (1994).
Board-certified Plastic Surgeon, Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (JSPRS).
More than 200 full articles in Medline-indexed journals, plus several textbook chapters.
President of IFATS (International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science); President-elect of ISPRES; National Secretary for Japan, ISAPS.
Technical Advisor to GINZA NOA CLINIC on regenerative medicine.
Career
- 1985Graduates from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, and enters the Department of Plastic Surgery.
- 1990Assistant in the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Tokyo. Posts follow at Jichi Medical University, Yamanashi Medical University and Saitama Medical University.
- 1994Awarded a PhD in Medicine by the University of Tokyo.
- 1994–1995Visiting researcher in the Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, USA.
- 1998Lecturer in Plastic Surgery, University of Tokyo; directs his own laboratory.
- 2006Reports cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL) — the technique that made adipose-derived stem cells usable in routine fat grafting.
- 2015Appointed Professor and Chairman of Plastic Surgery at Jichi Medical University.
- 2016Delivers the 38th Maliniac Lecture to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
- 2017Elected President of IFATS, the international adipose therapeutics and science society.
- 2018Appointed National Secretary for Japan of ISAPS, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Awards
- 201638th Maliniac Lecture Award, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS/PSF)
- 2015Presidential Award, Aesthetic Stem Cell Society
- 2015Doctor Benaprès Award, Spanish Society of Cosmetic Medicine and Surgery
- 2013Academic Encouragement Award, Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- 2012Johnson & Johnson focused funding award
- 2011IMCAS Award
The in-house cell processing laboratory at GINZA NOA CLINIC, where the adipose-derived cells Prof. Yoshimura’s work describes are handled.
Research focus
His laboratory works on adipose-derived stem cells and the biology that surrounds them: how fat grafts survive, how scars and keloids form, how tissue responds to radiation injury, and how blood vessels regrow in ischaemic tissue. He also works on mechanobiology — how mechanical forces change the behaviour of skin and fat cells.
The practical result most patients encounter is CAL: rather than injecting fat alone, a portion of the aspirated fat is processed to concentrate its stem-cell fraction, and the two are grafted together. Prof. Yoshimura first reported the technique in 2006; it has since been adopted in Japan, Korea, the United States and Europe.
Research from his group has also led to university spin-out companies working on adipose-derived cell devices and on treatments for radiation injury and scarring.
Positions and memberships
- President, International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS)
- President-elect and board member, International Society of Plastic Regenerative Surgeons (ISPRES)
- National Secretary for Japan, International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)
- General Secretary, Asian Federation of Plastic Surgery Societies (APRAS)
- International Committee Chair, Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (JSPRS)
- Board member and auditor, JSPRS
- Board member and research committee chair, Japan Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (JSAPS)
- Board member, Japan Oncoplastic Surgery Society (JOPBS)
- Board member, Japan Anti-Ageing Medical Society
- Expert committee member, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)
- Co-editor, Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery (JPSHS)
How to verify this profile
We would rather point you at the original records than ask you to take our word for it. His appointment, degrees, publications and committee roles are listed on public academic databases:
- Jichi Medical University researcher database — official university record of his position and research
- researchmap — Japanese national research profile, publication list and career history
- IMCAS speaker profile — biography and society roles
- PubMed — his peer-reviewed publications
What he does for this clinic
Prof. Yoshimura is technical advisor to GINZA NOA CLINIC. His role is advisory: he is consulted on regenerative medicine technique, on how the clinic’s cell processing is set up, and on whether a claim the clinic makes is supported by the published literature. He does not see patients at the clinic, and he does not decide who is eligible for treatment — that is decided by the treating physician after examining you.
Being clear about that boundary matters more than borrowing authority. What you can rely on is this: the person advising the clinic on adipose-derived cell technique is the person who first described how to use those cells in practice.
Medically reviewed by Ryosuke Tanabe, MD, Director of GINZA NOA CLINIC. Last reviewed 30 September 2026.