It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Prof. Katsuo Wada, an old friend of our Society, a renowned Japanese primatologist and Emeritus Professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, who passed away on September 22, 2026, at the age of 94.
Professor Wada was born in Sapporo in 1932. In his early career, he served at the Fisheries Agency of Japan, conducting research on pinnipeds such as fur seals, sea lions, seals, and sea otters. From 1970, he served as a faculty member of the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University; from 1990 to 1996, he was a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Throughout his life, he devoted himself to the field research and conservation of Chinese snub-nosed monkeys, Tibetan macaques, rhesus macaques, Japanese macaques, and pinnipeds.
Professor Wada was a pioneering colleague of the Chinese zoology community, who made groundbreaking contributions to the development of primatology and pinniped conservation research in China. From the 1980s onward, he conducted collaborative research with Chinese research institutions in the Huangshan Mountains, the Qinling Mountains, the Guangxi nature conservation areas and the Liaodong Peninsula, carrying out field surveys of primates and pinnipeds for over three decades. In 1983, he established the Fuxi Tibetan Macaque Field Research Station at Huangshan in cooperation with Anhui University; in 1999, he established the Yuhuangmiao Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Field Research Station in the Qinling Mountains in cooperation with Northwest University, opening an important chapter in long-term field research on Chinese primates. He actively promoted and facilitated the founding of the China Primatological Society, devoting tremendous effort to Sino-Japanese academic exchange, joint expeditions, and the training of young researchers. His book 《Chronicles of Chinese Primatology — Living at Huangshan》is the first documentary work by a Japanese scholar to describe primatological research in China.
Professor Wada was a prolific author who continued to work in the laboratory every day well into his nineties. In addition to publishing scientific papers, he authored numerous academic monographs, including 《The World of Wild Japanese Macaques: Ecology Centered on the Shiga Highlands》and 《Stories of Marine Mammals》. After his retirement, he continued to publish works such as 《The Science of Japanese Macaque Conservation: Toward a Fundamental Solution to Crop-Raiding Problems》 and 《Would Eating Wildlife Reduce Crop Damage of Wild Animal?》His unremitting scientific spirit and lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation will always inspire younger generations of scholars.
Our Society extends deepest condolences to Professor Wada's family and pays the highest tribute to his contributions to the establishment of primatology in China and to friendship between Sino-Japanese Zoologists. His exemplary spirit will endure forever. May he rest in eternal peace.
China Primatological Society
September 29, 2026
