MATSUSHITA Kazuo is currently Lead Co-chair, Task Force 3 on Climate and Environment of T20 Japan 2019, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, Senior Fellow of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Examiner for Environmental and Social Guidelines at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He served as Professor of environmental policy at the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University from 2001 to 2013. He also served as a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) of the United Nations University. He also worked at several institutions including the Ministry of Environment of the Government of Japan, the Environment Directorate of the OECD, and as a Senior Environment Planning Officer of the United Nations on Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). He has long been engaged in environmental administration and research, particularly on global environmental policy and international environmental cooperation. Major research areas are sustainability studies as well as climate change policies and global environmental policies from the viewpoint of environmental governance. His publications include Environment in the 21st Century and New Development Patterns and Environmental Governance.