Osaka teen acquires college graduate-level nat'l license for handling hazardous materials
OSAKA -- A junior high school student here has passed the Japanese national qualification exam for handling Class A hazardous materials after teaching himself, a rare feat in the country as the exam requires knowledge of chemistry at college graduate level.
Yoriari Morishita, 14, passed the exam for "Class A hazardous materials engineers" when he was in the third term of his second year at the municipal Fuminosato Junior High School in the city of Osaka.
The qualification is required for dealing with hazardous substances stipulated in the Fire Service Act. There are three types -- Class A, B and C -- and while materials handled by Class B hazardous substance engineers are divided by type or properties, Class A license holders may handle all sorts of hazardous materials, requiring broad and advanced knowledge.
After encountering the periodic table of the elements in the fourth grade of elementary school, Yoriari bought a lot of books on chemistry, thinking, "The world is made of elements. It's fun (to be able to acquire knowledge)." He studied chemistry so hard that hours had passed before he realized it.
His father Takahiro, 44, is a system engineer for a tech company while his 44-year-old mother, Kayo, is a homemaker, meaning both his parents know little about chemistry. Kayo is curious why her son became fond of chemistry, and reflected, "There was nothing I could help him out with, so I was just cheering him on."
After entering junior high, Yoriari learned about the "thermite reaction," in which iron oxide and aluminum powder react intensely when ignited. This inspired him to acquire the hazardous materials engineer license. He bought reference books and studied during breaks at school and at his home, and passed the exam for one of the Class B hazardous materials engineer licenses during the third term of his first year in junior high school, though he was "worried at first." He eventually acquired a total of four Class B licenses, before passing the Class A license on his second try.
His father was rejoiced at his son's achievement, saying, "I'd like to support him in whatever he is into," while his mother commented, "He's acquiring the ability to gather information, such as looking up points he is unsure about on his own." Yoriari told the Mainichi Shimbun aspiringly, "It'd be fun if I could become a chemist who generates energy in the future."
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