[1][2] In 2006, he was appointed chief scientist of the Superheavy Element Laboratory at Riken's Nishina Center.

[6] Synthesis of element 113 was accomplished by bombardment of a 209Bi target with 70Zn projectiles using a beam energy of 352.6 MeV.

[5] Morita's team successfully synthesized element 113 in a total of three occasions: July 2004, April 2005, and August 2012.

[2][7][8] This achievement was officially recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry on December 31, 2015, granting Morita's team the element's naming rights.

[7] After a five-month public comment period, the union announced its formal approval on November 30, 2016.