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No. 67Jan. 2023

2023 Japan Prize Laureates Announced

d
s

o
l
r

g

Prof. Masataka Nakazawa

Distinguished Professor, Specially Appointed Professor,
Tohoku University
Japan

Mr. Kazuo Hagimoto
Principal Researcher,
National Institute of Information andCommunications Technology
Japan

Prof. Gero Miesenböck
Waynflete Professor of Physiology,
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour,
University of Oxford
AustriaProf. Karl DeisserothProfessor,
Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry,and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Stanford University
USA

Fields Eligible for the Award:

Fields Eligible for the Award:

Distinguished contributions to global long-distance,high-capacity optical fiber network through the developmentof semiconductor laser pumped optical amplifier

The development of methods
that use genetically addressable light-sensitive
membrane proteins to unravel neural circuit function

The world is more closely connected that ever before through email,social networks, online meeting spaces and more, and cloud services havecome to be used to store vast amounts of data. The increased diversificationand capacity of internet-based information technology resources was madepossible by the availability of low-cost optical communication systems thatallow large amounts of information to be quickly sent great distances.
In the 1980s, Professor Masataka Nakazawa and Mr. Kazuo Hagimotocombined erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) with InGaAsP laser
diodes to build small-scale, high-efficiency, long-distance opticalamplifiers, a technology considered indispensable to the construction of
long-distance optical communication systems but which had until that time
been difficult to put into practical use. Within only five years, repeaters
equipped with these optical amplifiers were being installed in thetranspacific and transatlantic submarine cables and other communication
systems that form the long-distance transmission network that spans theworld. The optical communication systems built upon this technology havecontinued to evolve since that time, and are being used in dramaticallymore applications.
The optical amplifiers they developed paved the way for long-distance,high-capacity optical data transmission, one of the core technologies
supporting global Internet society today.

All of human behavior – from action to thought, to memory and decisionmaking – is governed by the neurons that make up our brains. Determining
the causal relationships between which neurons influence which patterns of
behavior is a major topic of research in neuroscience.
Past research into this topic involved activating and suppressing specificareas of the brain using electrical stimulation, drugs, and other methods, andthen observing how behavior thereby clarifying the role each region of the brain
plays. However, it was difficult to use such methods to control the targetedneurons with high precision.
However, a new method has emerged that allows researchers to easily control
the activity of specific neurons by illuminating them with light. It lets research
directly study the relationship between neural activity and behaviors produced
because it can be used on live animals.
Prof. Gero Miesenböck successfully devised the concept and principles
underlying this technology, and demonstrated its effectiveness. Prof. Karl
Deisseroth developed a unique method using a photoactivated protein derived
from microorganisms that achieved high spatial and temporal resolution, whichallowed it to be harnessed across a broad range of research fields.
The use of light stimulation has become an indispensable tool inneuroscience research, and has led to remarkable progress in the field. It is also
expected that this technique will be useful in medical applications, such as
restoring sight for the blind and developing treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

The establishment of t he Japan Prize was mot ivated by t he Japanese
government's desire to create an internationally recognized award that would
contribute to scientific and technological development around the world. With thesupport of numerous donations, the Japan Prize Foundation received endorsementfrom the Cabinet Office in 1983.
The Japan Prize is awarded to scientists and engineers from around the world
who have made creative and dramatic achievements that help progress their fields
and contribute significantly to realizing peace and prosperity for all humanity.

Researchers in all fields of science and technology are eligible for the award, with
two fields selected each year in consideration of current trends in scientific andtechnological development. In principle, one individual in each field is recognizedwith the award, and receives a certificate, a medal, and a monetary prize. EachAward Ceremony is attended by the current Emperor and Empress, heads of thethree branches of government and other related officials, and representatives
from various other elements of society.

Electronics, Information, and Communication

Life Sciences

Fields of Electronics, Information, and Communication
Achievement
Distinguished contributions to global long-distance, high-capacity optical fiber network through the developmentof semiconductor laser pumped optical amplifier

Prof. Masataka Nakazawa (Japan)

Born: September 17, 1952 (Age: 70)
Distinguished Professor, Specially Appointed Professor,
Tohoku University

Mr. Kazuo Hagimoto (Japan)

Born: January 8, 1955 (Age: 68)
Principal Researcher,
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology

The optical transmission system connecting the world

Principles of optical amplifiers and their advantages

Submarine cables are used to bridge the distances between continents and connect the world, and the term optical communicationrefers to the transmission of information as signals that travel along
optical fibers within those cables. Information is sent using flashinglight that represents the binary 0s and 1s in digital data, whichallows information to be sent faster and over longer distances.
Optical fibers are made of high-purity glass and other materials
in order to minimize signal loss, but when transmitting over long
distances, there will always be some loss of signal strength. For
example, it is impossible to deliver a signal that crosses the Pacific
Ocean from Tokyo to San Francisco (roughly 8,300 km) with asingle transmission of an optical signal. To resolve this issue,
optical repeaters are installed on submarine cables anywherefrom a few dozen kilometers to one hundred kilometers apart,and the optical amplifiers inside boost signals that pass throughto compensate for signal loss. The erbium-doped fiber amplifiers(EDFA) developed by Nakazawa and Hagimoto to amplify signals
in this way are now being used worldwide.

Single-mode optical fibers were put into practical use in the
1980s. However, at that time, signal amplification was achieved
using electrical amplifiers, which converted optical signals into
electrical signals which were then amplified. Such devices werelarge and required a large amount of power, so there was demand
for a compact, highly efficient, broadband optical amplifiers that
could amplify the original signals without having to convert themfirst.
Nakazawa was the first person to propose using a 1.48 µm
InGaAsP (Indium, Gallium, Arsenic, Phosphorus) laser diodeto excite erbium-doped fibers. The principle under which suchan optical amplifier works is shown in Fig. 2. A diode emits an
excitation signal at 1.48 µm, which gives energy to an electron in
the ground state in an erbium atom (4I15/2) and raises it to an excitedstate (4I13/2). Energy is released from that electron in a phenomenon
called stimulated emission, and it is used to amplify the 1.55 µm
optical signal.
Currently, optical communication is carried out in the 1.5 µm
band (the minimum loss wavelength), which has the lowest possible
optical attenuation at 0.2 dB per kilometer. Energy produced bystimulated emission in erbium atoms occurs in this band precisely,
and it provides a gain of 12.5 dB (corresponding to the ratio of input
to output strength). Furthermore, it was shown that amplification
wasn’t limited to a single wavelength; this stimulated emission
could be used to amplify signals within a range of 40 nm.

Figure 1: The intercontinental optical submarine cable network
北極海

北極海

Figure 2: Principles of optical amplifiers
北太平洋

Thermal transition
Excited state

南大西洋

13/2

Stimulated emission

南太平洋
南極海

4

南極海

Outer sheath

Insulator

Transmitted
optical signal
1.55µmFeed line

submarine optical repeater

Optical fiber

Map source: Submarine Cable Map（https://www.submarinecablemap.com/）

Excitation light
1.48µm4

Electron

Ground state

15/2

Driving greater increases in capacity

Nakazawa’s proposal showed that it was possible to build abattery-powered optical amplifier much more compact than existing
amplifiers, which required light sources as big as 1.5 square meters.
Moreover, they were broadband amplifiers capable of amplifying
1.5 µm signals over a 40 nm band, which illustrated their potential
to help increase optical communication capacity.
Hagimoto learned of Nakazawa’s proposal and immediatelybegan building a practical optical communication system based on
its principles. He used an EDFA measuring roughly 10 cm square,a device that had only recently been developed, and harnessed
intensity modulation and direct detection to show that a 1.8 Gbit/s
signal could be delivered over as long a distance as 212 km. This
was the first successful demonstration of the practicality of opticalamplifiers.
This technology was so exceptional that within only five years,
it was being used in the long-distance transmission networks thatconnect the world.

Figure 3: Semiconductor laser pumped EDFAs andthe 212km repeaterless transmission experiment at 1.8 Gbps
Low-loss, low-dispersion optical fiber (A = 1.55 µm)

212km

Transmitter

90m

60m

Er -doped
fiber
3+

Opticalamplifier1.48-µm excitation laser
1.48-μm励起レーザー

Er3+-doped
fiberBand-passfilterError
detector

Figure 4：Practical application of long-distance large-capacity
optical fiber communication（bit/s）
10 P

Space-division multiplexing (SDM)

1P

Conventional type

Source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Xkn14XWcQTransmission capacity per fiber

Pulse wave
generator

Transmitter

DM

After optical amplification was introduced in the 1990s, it became
absolutely indispensable to optical communications. Other opticalamplifiers have been developed, but EDFAs remain the most commonly used around the world. The work of Hagimoto and his fellow
researchers in standardizing the technology internationally also helped
demonstrate its superiority.
EDFAs are capable of amplifying multiple optical signals at
different wavelengths simultaneously, so they can be combined withwavelength-division multiplexing, a technology that allows multiple
signals at different wavelengths to be transmitted together and separated again at the detection end. Since the mid-1990s, that combination
has driven greater increases in optical communication capacity, andopened the door to terabit-scale (1012 bit), large-capacity optical datatransmission.
In addition, new technologies appear with regularity – technologies
such as multi-level modulation transmission and digital coherent
transmission – and both Nakazawa and Hagimoto continue toresearch these latest developments in transmission technology.
The world has entered the Data Era with the use of IoT, big data,and other developments, and the demand for increased communication capacity continues to rise. Experiments have shown thatpetabit-scale (1015 bit) transmission is possible, surpassing the
100 Tb physical limitations of single-mode fiber, thus illustratingthat the evolution of optical communication – a technology that isinterwoven into modern life – continues unabated.

100 T
10 T
1T
100 G

Physical limitations of
single-mode fibers (SMF)
Digital coherent transmissiontemsar l sy
ye cia1/ mer4.
m
1
X T’s coNT

Wavelength-divisionmultiplexing (WDM)
technology and opticalamplifiers（bit/s）

1T
100 G

Time-divisionmultiplexing (TDM)

10 G

10 G

1G

1G

100 M

100 M

10 M

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

Channel capacity

An urgent need for practical applications

Field of Life Sciences
Achievement
The development of methods that use genetically addressable light-sensitive membraneproteins to unravel neural circuit function

Prof. Gero Miesenböck (Austria)

Born: July 15, 1965 (Age: 57)
Waynflete Professor of Physiology,
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford

Prof. Karl Deisseroth (USA)

Born: November 18, 1971 (Age: 51)
Professor,Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry,and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Stanford University

Previous methods using electrical stimulation and drugs

A new technology that controls neurons freely using light

The brain is composed of an enormous number of nerve cells,or neurons, which form complex circuits that are used to exchange
information. The reason humans are able to think and move isbecause the neurons responsible for controlling those functions
are activated and thereby transmit information correctly.
Electrical stimulation and the administration of drugs have long
been used to study the neural circuitry that controls behavior,thought, and other functions.
Electrical stimulation is applied by inserting a thin electrodeinto a specific region of the brain and passing an electrical current
through it, which either activates or deactivates neurons in the area
to study how behavior changes. However, this method changes the
behavior not only of the targeted neurons but also any surrounding
cells, which makes it difficult to precisely determine the role of a
specific neuron.
The drug method involves local administration to the brain of adrug that activates or deactivates specific neurons, at which point
subsequent behavioral changes are observed to understand therole of those neurons. However, neural activity moves at a ratemeasurable in milliseconds, so because it takes time for drugs toaffect the targeted neurons, there is a limit to what can be gained
from this method.

The method using light developed by Miesenböck and Deisserothovercomes all the shortcomings of previous methods.
In 2002, Miesenböck developed a new technique that allowed
him to use genetic manipulation to express photo-sensitive proteinsin specific neurons, the activity of which could then be controlled
through exposure to light. Then in 2005, Deisseroth used Chlamydomonas, a type of green algae that contains a photosensitive protein
called channelrhodopsin, to improve this technology and make it
more precise and easier to use, thereby making it possible to apply
in a wide range of research fields.
This technology makes it possible to illuminate and control theactivity of specific neurons in the brain of a living animal using
optical fibers and other equipment, only changing the activity of
the neurons being targeted. Furthermore, this technique allows
neural activity to be freely turned on and off on a time scale ofmilliseconds or microseconds. For example, channelrhodopsin
can be expressed in neurons in mice in the part of the brain called
the amygdala, and they can then be illuminated with light using
an optical fiber. Mice are normally uneasy in open spaces and sothey tend to stay close to walls when they move, but after light isshone on specific neurons, they can temporarily be made to feelless anxious such that they can walk around far from walls without
issue. In this way, the direct causal relationship between neuron
activity and behavior can be made observable.
This light-based technology has revolutionized research in thefield of neuroscience, and it continues to evolve today.

Figure 1: Conventional methods for investigating the role of neurons

Electrical stimulation

Drug administration

Figure 2: The award-winning techniquePhotostimulation

Optical fiber

Clarifying the causal
relationship

Using conventional methods such as electrical stimulation (left) and drug
administration (right) to manipulate neural activity results in other cells near thetargeted neurons also being affected (yellow explosions in figure).

Neural Circuit- Only targeted cells- Quick response

Behavior understoodat the organism level

By expressing photosensitive proteins in specific nerve cells, it is possible tocontrol the activity of target neurons through photostimulation.

Developing the technique – Concepts and principles
Miesenböck was first to come up with the concept behind thetechnique and the principles upon it is based, and he was thefirst to demonstrate its utility. In 2002, Miesenböck took threephotoreceptor genes from the eye of Drosophila, including aphotosensitive protein called rhodopsin, and expressed themin hippocampal neurons of rats, whereupon he demonstrated
that activity in these neurons could be freely controlled byilluminating them with light. This is possible because whenrhodopsin senses light, the cell membrane opens somethingcalled ion channels, proteins that transport ions in and out of acell. The flow of ions in and out of the cell produces an action
potential, the mechanism by which neurons are activated.
Initial experiments were conducted in vitro, but the experiments were repeated in 2005 on living Drosophila. That experiment successfully induced escape behavior in the flies (flying
and flapping wings) by using light to control activity in specificneurons. Moreover, in 2008, the same principles were used to
identify the neural network in male Drosophila responsible forcontrolling courtship behavior.
These results had an immense impact as they demonstrated
that photostimulation could be used to directly research therelationship between neural activity and behavior.

Algae genes open the way to discovering the potentialof the technique
Deisseroth developed a technique for manipulating neural activity
using light by focusing on the protein channelrhodopsin, or ChR2,
a microbiological rhodopsin reported to be involved in photoaxis ingreen algae.
ChR2 is a protein that functions as a rhodopsin, which reacts tolight, and as an ion channel, which allows ions to pass through thecell membrane, and one of its properties is the short time between
it being exposed to light and the channel opening. In other words,
using ChR2 has the benefit of making the process simpler because
it involves the introduction of only one gene, and still allows for
precise control of neural activity.
In 2005, Deisseroth demonstrated that photostimulation of ChR2
expressed in cultured hippocampal neurons from rats could affectneuronal activity within milliseconds. He later used the techniqueon live mice and successfully identified the neuronal population that
produces gamma brain waves, and clarified the neural mechanismthat controls social behavior and learning.
A variety of channelrhodopsins with different functions are currently being developed, and the technique is in wide use in everythingfrom pure research to the development of treatments for neurologicaldiseases. Algae genes opened the way to discovering the potential ofthis technique that has revolutionized neuroscience research.

Figure 3: Illustration of one of Miesenböck’s principles
Figure 4: Using the technique with channelrhodopsin (ChR2)

K＋
Ion channel

Na+
Ca2+

K+

Rhodopsin

G protein
Arrestin
3 Drosophila genes
Source : Miesenbock (Neuron 2002)

The structure of rhodopsin changes when exposed to light, activating G proteins andindirectly opening ion channels (green arrow.) When an ion channel is opened, Na +,Ca2+, and K+ move in and out of the cell (red arrows) thereby transmitting information
by inducing a large change in the membrane potential called an action potential.

Na+
Ca2+
ChR2

Source : Deisseroth (Nat Neurosci 2005)

The structure of ChR2 changes when exposed to light, opening ion channels
contained with the protein itself. When an ion channel is opened, Na+, Ca2+,
and K+ move in and out of the cell (red arrows) thereby transmitting information
by inducing a change in the membrane potential called an action potential.

Nomination and Selection Process

EligibEvery November, the Field Selection Committee of The Japan Prize Foundation designates and announces two fields in which
the Japan Prize will be awarded two years hence. At the same time, the Foundation calls for over 15,000 nominators, strictly
comprised of prominent scientists and researchers from around the world invited by the Foundation, to nominate thecandidates through the Web System. The deadline for nominations is the end of January of the following year.

■■

For each field, a Selection Subcommittee conducts a rigorous evaluation of the candidates’ academic achievements. The
conclusions are then forwarded to the Selection Committee, which conducts evaluations of candidates’ achievements from awider perspective, including contributions to the progress of science and technology, and significant advancement towards thecause of world peace and prosperity, and finally the selected candidates are recommended for the Prize.

■

The recommendations are then sent to the Foundation’s Board of Directors, which makes the final decision on the winners.

■

The nomination and selection process takes almost two years from the time that the fields are decided. Every January, thewinners of that year’s Japan Prize are announced. The Presentation Ceremony is held in April in Tokyo.

2021

2022
July - OctoberNovember

1

2

2023

January

3

November

4

１ Consider the eligible fields for the 2023 Japan Prize(Board of Directors)

55Electronics, Information, and Communication
Life Sciences

January

6

7

8Japan Prize （Selection Committee）
Electronics, Information, and Communication （Selection Subcommittee）
Life Sciences （Selection Subcommittee）

2

Determine the eligible fields for the 2023 Japan Prize

6

Selecting the Laureates of the 2023 Japan Prize

3

Invite the nominations

7

Announce the Laureates of the 2023 Japan Prize

4

Closing of the nominations

8

The 2023 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony(Board of Directors)

April(Board of Directors)

Members of the 2023 Japan Prize Selection Committee
Chairman

Makoto Asashima

Deputy Director General of Advanced Comprehensive Research
Organization, Research Professor, Teikyo University
Academic Advisor, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Deputy Chairman

Yoichiro Matsumoto
Professor Emeritus
The University of Tokyo

Members

Mariko Hasegawa

Kyosuke Nagata

President
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI

President
University of Tsukuba

Adviser
The Japan Prize Foundation

Professor and Chair
Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine

Vice Chairperson, Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion
Center Director, Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM)
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Executive Vice President, The University of Tokyo
Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Hiroto Ishida

Kazunori Kataoka

Masayuki Matsushita
Director
The Japan Prize Foundation

Hideyuki Okano
Tatsuya Okubo

Hiroto Yasuura

Director General, Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center
Vice-Director-General, National Institute of Informatics,
Inter-University Research Institute Corporation,
Research Organization of Information and Systems
Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University

Selection Subcommittee for the “Electronics, Information, and Communication” field
ChairmanMembers

Hiroto Yasuura

Akiko Aizawa

Director General, Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Center
Vice-Director-General, National Institute of Informatics,
Inter-University Research Institute Corporation,
Research Organization of Information and Systems
Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University

Deputy Chairman

Hironori Kasahara

Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Waseda University

Professor
Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University

Takako Hashimoto

Director
RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters (R-IH)

Toshiro Hiramoto

Professor
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

Nei Kato

Michihiko MinohAtsuko Miyaji

Professor
Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University

Kae Nemoto

Professor, Quantum Information Science and Technology Unit,
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

Dean, Professor
Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University

Takao Onoye

Professor Emeritus
Tokyo Institute of Technology

Seiichi Uchida

Akira Matsuzawa

BackgroScience
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Field

Shin-ichi Minato

Vice-Director-General, Professor
National Institute of Informatics, Inter-University ResearchInstitute Corporation,
Research Organization of Information and Systems
Vice President, Chiba University of Commerce
Professor, Faculty of Commerce and Economics,
Chiba University of Commerce

Areas oResou

Chairman

Kohei M

Executive Dir
Distinguished
Graduate Scho

Vice Chai

Kazuhito

President
Japan Science

Executive Vice President
Osaka University
Senior Vice President, Kyushu University
Professor
Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University

Selection Subcommittee for the “Life Sciences” field
ChairmanMembers

President
University of Tsukuba

Director General
National Institute for Basic Biology,
National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Vice President, Tohoku University
Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University

Fuyuki Ishikawa

Professor
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Kyosuke Nagata

Kiyokazu Agata

Vice-President, Kyoto University
Director, Research Administration Center (KURA), Kyoto University
Professor, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University

Deputy Chairman

Shigeo Koyasu
Executive Director
RIKEN

Hisakazu Mihara

Vice President, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Professor
School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Junichi Nabekura

Director General
National Institute for Physiological Sciences,
National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Noriko Osumi

Ichiro Sakuma

Sched

Kenichi Shinoda

The elig
These fi

President
National Museum of Nature and Science

Haruko Takeyama

Professor
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University

Minoru Yoshida

Research Strategy Advisor, RIKEN
Professor
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Michisuke Yuzaki

Dean, Keio University Graduate School of Medicine
Professor, Keio University School of Medicine(alphabetical order, titles as of January, 2023)

Areas of

Y

2
2
2

023)

Eligible Fields for the 2024 Japan Prize

A
A
T
w

Areas of Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, and Engineering

Resources, Energy, Environment, and Social Infrastructure
Background and Rationale:

Science and technology have helped to free humanity, with all its vulnerabilities, from the bonds of the natural world, and to lessen the unreasonable hardships of labor.
Advancements have reduced the number of casualties due to natural disaster and disease, and have given us greater freedom to choose where and how we live our lives, allwhile expanding the scope of our knowledge. However, many vulnerable people are yet to benefit from such scientific and technological advances - many have yet to be
freed from the chains of poverty and scarcity. In addition, there are concerns about the adverse effects of climate change and an increased loss of biodiversity resulting
from the growing, increasingly active human population.
The development of a carbon-neutral society with a circular economy is expected to help resolve such global issues, and simultaneously result in a world where people
can live in safety and comfort. To achieve this, it is essential that we develop innovative elemental technologies and improve efficiency and reliability of relevant
technologies in the fields of energy, mineral resources, water resources, material recycling, and more, and re-design the residential and transportation systems in place inour urban and rural areas.
We must also work to promote the transition into a sustainable and peaceful society in which all people can have a sense of self-respect and dignity. To do so, we must revolutionize
our understanding, our theories, and our research and development into the Anthropocene, complex systems, networks, human behavioral selection, and trust-building. We must
propose ideas and frameworks that can change society’ s path. It is also important to develop, design, and implement new social systems that will harness these ideas.

Eligible Achievements:
The 2024 Japan Prize will be awarded to breakthroughs in the creation, innovation or dissemination of science and technology in the fields of Resources, Energy, Environment,

and Social Infrastructure, thereby contributing significantly to solving social issues and improving sustainability in our society.

Areas of Life Sciences, Agriculture, Medicine, and Pharmacology

Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science
Background and Rationale:

Advances in science and technology leading to major new trends in medicine and pharmacology have elucidated the mechanisms of many diseases and produced revolutionary
pharmaceutical solutions and medical technologies - notably in genomic medicine, cancer immunotherapy, gene therapy, and cell therapies, as well as new types of vaccines anddrug-delivery systems. These achievements have greatly contributed to improvements in both quality of life and life expectancy by offering more satisfying therapeutic options
for patients with cancer, infectious and lifestyle-related diseases, and many other pathological conditions.
Recently, medical researchers have entered into rewarding collaborations with workers in informatics, materials science, and other branches of science, contributing greatly toprogress in brain-computer interface design and regenerative medicine, among other areas. They have brought us into a new era in which, though fraught with ethicalchallenges, treatments for high-level mental dysfunctions and modulation of age-related physical changes, for example, will no longer be mere wishful thinking. On the other
hand, ever more conspicuous challenges are posed by dementia and geriatric diseases in aging societies, and by emerging infectious diseases and the spread of pandemics
accompanying the globalization of commerce and population movements.
Thus, in this age of challenges it is hoped that Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, not only by continuing to make discoveries in the basic sciences but also by applying
those discoveries and joining forces with other fields of endeavor, will continue to enhance human health and well-being.

Eligible Achievements :The 2024 Japan Prize in Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science will reward the development of innovative technologies and novel discoveries that promise seminal
scientific and technical advances pertaining to the mechanisms of disease; to disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis; and to medical follow-up and monitoring technologies and discoveries that confer substantial benefits to society by enhancing human health and well-being.

Fields Selection Committee for the 2024 Japan Prize
ChairmanMembers

Kohei Miyazono

Executive Director, RIKENDistinguished University Professor, Department of Applied Pathology,
Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

Hiroyuki Arai

Yukiko Motomura

Mutsuko Hatano

Toru Nakano

Editorial writer
The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.

Executive Director, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency
Emeritus Professor, The University of Tokyo

Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Vice Chairman

Professor Emeritus
Osaka University

Taikan Oki

Kazuhiro Hono

Kazuhito Hashimoto

President
Japan Science and Technology Agency

President
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)

Professor
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Adviser, ENEOS Research Institute, Ltd.
Former Director, Senior Vice President, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation

Dean, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences,
The University of Tokyo

Jinichi Igarashi

Erina Kuranaga

Nobuhiro Tsutsumi
Naonori Ueda

Professor
Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University

NTT Fellow, NTT Communication Science Laboratories
Deputy Director, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project

Tadahiro Kuroda

Minoru Yoshida

Professor
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Research Strategy Advisor, RIKEN
Professor, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences,
The University of Tokyo(alphabetical order, titles as of November, 2022)

Schedule (2024-2026)

The eligible fields for the Japan Prize (2024 to 2026) have been decided for the two research areas, respectively.
These fields rotate every year in a three year cycle. Every year the Fields Selection Committee announces the eligible field for the next three years.
Areas of Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, and Engineering

Areas of Life Sciences, Agriculture, Medicine, and Pharmacology

YearEligible Fields

Year

2024
2025
2026

Resources, Energy, Environment, and Social Infrastructure
Materials and Production
Electronics, Information, and Communication

2024
2025
2026

Eligible Fields
Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science
Biological Production, Ecology/ Environment
Life Scienceshig