Japan Prize
The Japan Prize (日本国際賞, Nihon-kokusai-shō, lit. "Japan International Prize") is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind." The Prize is presented by the Japan Prize Foundation. Since its inception in 1985, the Foundation has awarded 81 people from 13 countries.[1]
| The Japan Prize | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | original and outstanding achievements in science and technology that are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and having served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind |
| Country |  |
| Presented by | The Japan Prize Foundation |
| First awarded | 1985 |
| Website | www |
The Japan Prize consists of a certificate, a commemorative medal and a cash award of ¥50 million (US$452800). No discrimination is made as to nationality, occupation, race, or gender. Only living persons may be named. Every November, the Japan Prize Foundation selects two fields for the award according to current trends in science and technology. The nomination and selection process takes about one year. The laureates, one from each field, are announced in January.
The prestigious prize presentation ceremony is held in the presence of the Emperor and the Empress of Japan. According to his book Dancing Naked in the Mind Field,[2] Kary Mullis, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, addressed Empress Michiko as sweetie when being awarded the prize in 1993 for the development of the polymerase chain reaction. The events are also attended by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the House of Councillors, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, foreign ambassadors to Japan and about a thousand other distinguished guests, including eminent academics, researchers and representatives of political, business and press circles.[1] The 2014 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony was held on April 23 at the National Theatre in Tokyo.[3]
At present the international prize is often considered one of the most prestigious awards in science and technology fields after the Nobel Prize. According to an article in the scientific journal Nature Immunology,[4] the prize is one of the prestigious science awards that recognize immunology as well as Nobel Prize, Sweden (since 1901), Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, USA (since 1946), Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, Germany (since 1952), Canada Gairdner International Award, Canada (since 1959), Wolf Prize, Israel (since 1978), and Crafoord Prize, Sweden (since 1980).
Background
The creation of the Japan Prize was motivated by the desire to express Japan's gratitude to international society. This plan was supported with the funds donated by Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic Corporation. He was the first chairman of the Japan Prize Preparatory Foundation.
Peace and prosperity for mankind have been my lifelong desires. I am extremely pleased, therefore, that the Japan Prize has been established with the specific goal of making some contribution on behalf of Japan to the development of international society.
The progress of modern science and technology has been phenomenal. It is not overstating its role to say that we owe the civilization we enjoy today to this very progress. On the other hand, however, there are still many global problems which remain to be solved, and the necessity to seek the counsel of many people is greater than ever before.
Under such circumstances, it is appropriate that Japan, in consultation with the international community, honors those who have produced outstanding achievements in the fields of science and technology.
It is my sincere hope that the Japan Prize achieves the recognition it deserves.
— Konosuke Matsushita[5]
In 1982 the Japan Prize Preparatory Foundation is established and then the establishment of the Japan Prize is endorsed by the Cabinet. In 1985 The 1st Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony is held in Tokyo.[5]
Laureates
| Year | Name | Nationality | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Robert G. Gallager |  |
for pioneering contribution to information and coding theory.[6] |
| Svante Pääbo |  |
for pioneering contributions to paleoanthropology through decoding ancient human genome sequences. | |
| 2019 | Yoshio Okamoto | |
for leading contributions to precision synthesis of helical polymers and development of practical chiral materials for separating chiral drugs.[7] |
| Rattan Lal | |
for the sustainable soil management for global food security and mitigation of climate change. | |
| 2018 | Akira Yoshino | |
for the development of lithium ion batteries.[8] |
| Max Dale Cooper Jacques Miller |
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for the discovery of B and T lymphocyte lineages and its impact on understanding disease pathology and therapeutic development. | |
| 2017 | Emmanuelle Charpentier Jennifer Doudna |
 |
for deciphering the molecular details of the type II bacterial immune system CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas and the creation of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system, a truly revolutionary technique in genetic engineering, far more economical and faster than those previously available.[9] |
| Adi Shamir |  |
for his significant contributions to the fields of cryptography and computer science. | |
| 2016 | Hideo Hosono | |
for the creation of unconventional inorganic materials with novel electronic functions based on nano-structure engineering. |
| Steven D. Tanksley | |
for his contribution to modern crop breeding through research on development of molecular genetic analysis. | |
| 2015 | Yutaka Takahasi (ja) | |
for the contribution to development of innovative concept on river basin management and reduction of water-related disasters. |
| Theodore Friedmann Alain Fischer (fr) |
|
for the proposal of the concept of gene therapy and its clinical applications. | |
| 2014 | Yasuharu Suematsu | |
for pioneering research on semiconductor lasers for high-capacity long-distance optical fiber communication. |
| C. David Allis | |
for the discovery of histone modifications as fundamental regulators of gene expression. | |
| 2013 | C. Grant Willson (de) Jean M. J. Fréchet |
|
for development of chemically amplified resist polymer materials for innovative semiconductor manufacturing process.[10] |
| John Frederick Grassle | |
for contribution to marine environmental conservation through research on ecology and biodiversity of deep-sea organisms. | |
| 2012 | Janet Rowley Brian Druker Nicholas Lydon |
 |
for the development of a new therapeutic drug targeting cancer-specific molecules. |
| Masato Sagawa | |
for the developing the world's highest performing Nd-Fe-B type permanent magnet and contributing to energy conservation. | |
| 2011 | Kenneth Thompson Dennis Ritchie |
|
for writing the Unix operating system. |
| Tadamitsu Kishimoto Toshio Hirano |
|
for the discovery of interleukin-6. | |
| 2010 | Shun-ichi Iwasaki | |
for contributions to high-density magnetic recording technology by the development of a perpendicular magnetic recording method. |
| Peter Vitousek | |
for contributions to solving global environmental issues based on the analysis of nitrogen and other substances’ cycles. | |
| 2009 | Dennis L. Meadows | |
for contributions in the area of "Transformation towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature". |
| David E. Kuhl | |
for contributions in the area of "Technological integration of medical science and engineering". Specifically, tomographic imaging in nuclear medicine. | |
| 2008 | Vinton Gray Cerf Robert E. Kahn |
|
for the creation of network architecture and communication protocol for the Internet. |
| Victor A. McKusick | |
for the establishment of medical genetics and contributions to its development. | |
| 2007 | Albert Fert Peter Grünberg |
 |
for the discovery of Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) and its contribution to development of innovative spin-electronics devices. |
| Peter Shaw Ashton | |
for contributions to the conservation of tropical forest. | |
| 2006 | John Houghton | |
for pioneering research on atmospheric structure and composition based on his satellite observation technology and for promotion of international assessments of climate change. |
| Akira Endo | |
for the discovery of the Statins and their development. | |
| 2005 | Makoto Nagao | |
for pioneering contributions to Natural Language Processing and Intelligent Image Processing. |
| Masatoshi Takeichi Erkki Ruoslahti |
|
for fundamental contribution in elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Adhesion. | |
| 2004 | Kenichi Honda Akira Fujishima |
|
for pioneering work on photochemical catalysis and its application for the environment. |
| Keith J. Sainsbury |  |
for contributions to the understanding of shelf ecosystems and their sustainable utilization. | |
| John H. Lawton | |
for observational, experimental and theoretical achievements for the scientific understanding and conservation of Biodiversity. | |
| 2003 | Benoît Mandelbrot James A. Yorke |
|
for the creation of universal concepts in complex systems - Chaos and Fractals. |
| Seiji Ogawa | |
for the discovery of the principle for functional magnetic resonance imaging. | |
| 2002 | Tim Berners-Lee | |
for advancement of civilization through invention, implementation and deployment of the World Wide Web. |
| Anne McLaren Andrzej K. Tarkowski |
 |
for pioneering work on mammalian embryonic development. | |
| 2001 | John B. Goodenough | |
for the discovery of environmentally benign electrode materials for high energy density rechargeable lithium batteries. |
| Timothy R. Parsons | .svg.png){kind=small} |
for the contributions to the development of Biological/Fisheries Oceanography and for conservation of fishery resources and marine environment. | |
| 2000 | Ian L. McHarg | |
for the establishment of an ecological City Planning Process and a proposal of a Land Use Evaluation System. |
| Kimishige Ishizaka | |
for the discovery of Immunoglobulin E and mechanisms of IgE-mediated allergic reactions. | |
| 1999 | W. Wesley Peterson | |
for the establishment of coding theory for reliable digital communication, broadcasting and storage. |
| Jack L. Strominger Don C. Wiley |
|
for the elucidation of the three dimensional structures of class I and class II human histocompatibility antigens and their bound peptides. | |
| 1998 | Leo Esaki | |
for the creation and realization of the concept of man-made superlattice crystals which led to generation of new materials with useful applications. |
| Jozef S. Schell Marc C. E. Van Montagu |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
for the establishment of the theory and method of the production of transgenic plants. | |
| 1997 | Takashi Sugimura Bruce N. Ames |
|
for the contribution to establishment of fundamental concept on causes of cancer. |
| Joseph F. Engelberger Hiroyuki Yoshikawa (ja) |
|
for the establishment of the Robot Industry and Creation of a Techno-Global Paradigm. | |
| 1996 | Charles K. Kao | |
for pioneering research on wide-band, low-loss optical fiber communications. |
| Masao Ito | |
for the elucidation of the functional principles and neural mechanisms of the cerebellum. | |
| 1995 | Nick Holonyak, Jr. | |
for outstanding contributions to research and practical applications of light emitting diodes and lasers through pioneering achievements in the understanding of physical principles and in the process technology of intermetallic compound semiconductors. |
| Edward F. Knipling | |
for pioneering contributions in the development of Integrated Pest Management by the Sterile Insect Release Method and other biological approaches. | |
| 1994 | William Hayward Pickering | |
for inspirational leadership in unmanned lunar and planetary exploration, and for pioneering achievements in the development of spacecraft and deep space communications. |
| Arvid Carlsson | |
for the discovery of dopamine as a neurotransmitter and clarification of its role in mental and motor functions and their disorders. | |
| 1993 | Frank Press | |
for the development of modern seismology and advancement of international cooperation in disaster science. |
| Kary B. Mullis | |
for the development of the polymerase chain reaction. | |
| 1992 | Gerhard Ertl | |
for the contributions to the new development of the chemistry and physics of solid surfaces. |
| Ernest John Christopher Polge | |
for the discovery of a method of the cryopreservation of semen and embryos in farm animals. | |
| 1991 | Jacques-Louis Lions | |
for the contributions to analysis and control of distributed systems, and to promotion of applied analysis. |
| John Julian Wild | |
for the development of ultrasound imaging in medicine. | |
| 1990 | Marvin Minsky | |
for the establishment of an academic field named Artificial Intelligence and the proposal of fundamental theories in that field. |
| William Jason Morgan Dan McKenzie Xavier Le Pichon |
|
for the initiation of the theory of plate tectonics and contributions to its development. | |
| 1989 | Frank Sherwood Rowland | |
for the studies on the mechanisms of stratospheric ozone depletion by chlorofluorocarbons. |
| Elias James Corey | |
for the pioneering contributions to the syntheses of prostaglandins and their related compounds which are of great therapeutic value. | |
| 1988 | Georges Vendryes | |
for the establishment of fast breeder reactor technology. |
| Donald Henderson Isao Arita Frank Fenner |
|
for the eradication of Smallpox. | |
| Luc Montagnier Robert C. Gallo |
|
for the discovery of the AIDS-causing virus and development of diagnostic methods. | |
| 1987 | Henry M. Beachell Gurdev S. Khush |
 |
for the development of the IR8 and IR36 strains for rice breeding strategies geared to the tropical and subtropical zones. |
| Theodore H. Maiman | |
for the realization of the world's first laser. | |
| 1986 | David Turnbull | |
for pioneering contributions to materials science with impact on new materials technology such as amorphous solids. |
| Willem J. Kolff | |
for research and development of artificial organs and their relevant technology. | |
| 1985 | John R. Pierce | |
for outstanding achievement in the field of electronics and communications technologies. |
| Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir | |
for outstanding achievement in basic theory in the field of immobilized enzymes and their practical applications. | |
References
- "The Japan Prize Foundation". www.japanprize.jp.
- Kary Mullis. Dancing Naked in the Mind Field. 1998, Vintage Books
- "2014 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony". Tokyo Institute of Technology.
- Doherty, P. C. (2010). "The glittering prizes". Nature Immunology. 11 (10): 875–8. doi:10.1038/ni1010-875. PMID 20856214.
- "The Japan Prize Foundation". www.japanprize.jp.
- Laureates 2020
- "The Japan Prize Foundation". www.japanprize.jp.
- "The Japan Prize Foundation". www.japanprize.jp.
- "Japan Prize 2017". Archived from the original on February 3, 2017.
- Tobin, Dave. (2013, January 30). "SUNY ESF alumnus Jean Fréchet wins Japan Prize," Archived 2019-01-10 at the Wayback Machine Syracuse.com. Accessed: January 31, 2013.