Mikihito Tanaka is a Professor of Science and Media Studies at the Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, Japan. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and has more than 20 years of experience as a journalist in parallel to his academic career. Currently, he conducts research on issues between science and society, social media, and journalism. As a social science researcher with a background in life sciences, Tanaka has had years of experience in interdisciplinary research and its implementation into society. He is a founding member and research manager of the Science Media Centre of Japan (SMCJ). In 2011, his work with the SMCJ team was highly acclaimed for their service to the public in providing evidence-based scientific information during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident and has been recognized by many, including an award from the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanaka was assigned as a member of the COVID-19 Expert Advisory Board in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and a risk communication advisor for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government; throughout those activities, Tanaka was advised about risk communication under COVID-19.