Terahertz Pioneer: Koji Mizuno "50 Years in Submillimeter-Waves: From Otaku to Sensei"

A detailed professional biography of Koji Mizuno is given highlighting his professional achievements. This is the story of a young electrical engineer from Japan who was so self-motivated, he used his mother's inheritance to cover the cost of attending the very first international THz symposium, held in Brooklyn, NY, USA, back in March 1970. Ever since that career forming decision to participate in something new and exciting, Professor Koji Mizuno has been an active contributor to THz science and applications. Back in 1970, the appropriate terminology was submillimeter waves. Nevertheless, the discipline spanned a very wide application base and attracted a diverse group of scientists, which included chemists, physicists, engineers and even one or two biologists. Professor Mizuno worked in all of these areas, and as we shall find, has been one of the staunchest supporters of our discipline, as well as a tireless ambassador that has helped to bring the science of THz to Asia and beyond.