JAPAN PRIZE NEWSTHE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FOUNDATION OF JAPAN (JSTF)
Shisei Kaikan, 1-3, Hibiya-Koen,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 100
Tel. 03 (508) 7691

No. 8
DECEMBER 1990

Categories Chosen for the 8th Japan Prize in 1992
The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan announced
that the two categories for the eighth Japan Prize, to beawarded in 1992, would be "Science and Technology ofMaterial Interfaces" and "Science and Technology for Biological Production", the concepts of which are as in the rightcolumn.
The Japan Prize, launched in 1985, is an international prize
awarded to scientists and researchers who have made original and outstanding achievements in science and technology.
The recipients are recognized for contributing not only to theprogress of science and technology, but also to peace andprosperity for mankind.
Every year, two fields of research are selected for theaward of the Japan Prize; the Prize is usually awarded to one
person in each category, although the prize has sometimes
been shared.
The Japan Prize is one of many projects sponsored by theFoundation to create greater awareness and understandingof science and technology.
The Japan Prize laureates receive certificates of merit andcommemorative medals in addition to a supplementary cash
award of ¥50 million per award field.
Regarding the concepts of categories chosen for the 8thJapan Prize in 1992, the explanations are made in the following Q&A format by Dr. Jiro Kondo, the chairman of the 1992
Fields Selection Committee and the president of the Science
Council of Japan; Dr. Yasutaka Uemura, the vice-chairman of
the committee and the professor, Department of Applied
Physics of the Science University of Tokyo; and Dr. Hiroshi
Harada, the general secretary of the committee and the professor, Institute of Biological Sciences of the University ofTsukuba.
Q: I would like to have Chairman'scomments on why the two categories"Science and Technology of MaterialInterfaces" and "Science and Technology for Biological Production" have been
selected.
A: In these days, the development ofscience and technology has been in
more specific and narrow fields. The
Dr. Jiro Kondo
purpose of awarding the Japan Prize is
not necessarily to look for pioneering new science and technology but to find what scientific achievement would bringthe most happiness to mankind and what development inConcepts of the Categories
Science and Technology of MaterialInterfaces
Innovation in the science and technology o( materialsalways has agreat impact upon
progress in modern technologies. In particular, the understanding of material interfaces (including surfaces) at the atomic level has greatly expanded in recent years.
"Science and Technology of Material:lnterfaces" covers fields such as catalysts,
thin films, colloids and various interfaces of metal and semiconductor.
The prize for 1992 will be awarded for outstanding achievements in the formationand control of material interfaces, their characterization techniques, clarification of
their phenomena and development of materials and/or devices which utilize special
functions of material interfaces.

Science and Technology for Biological
Production
Production of materials for food and other uses by the utilization of living organisms inagriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries has been, and will be, the basis of
the survival of mankind. Improvement in its efficiency as well as its diversification will
therefore be of more vital importance in the future than ever before.
The prize for 1992 will be awarded for outstanding achievements in the development of science and technology relating to the cultivation, breeding, protection
and related aspects of food production, with a view to increasing productivity by theutilization of living organisms.

technology would be valued as the best for the world. Thissearch may easily reveal some con tributions to industry orsocial welfare, which will, however, be too obscure to be considered a winner. The two categories for 1992 have thus been
selected based on the purpose outlined above taking into
account the categories selected in the past.
"Science and Technology of Material Interfaces" may berather difficult to be understood except by those who are specialists in this particular field. The scope of the category may
be regarded as being rather narrow. In fact, it is wider than it
may appear, since this category would include new aspects ofmaterials, the reactions which take place and the materials
which may be created at the boundaries of two different andadjacent materials and the reaction or resulting material may
have a new application.
"Science and Technology for Biological Production" prin-cipally covers the science and technology of the basic requirements of food production. This may be regarded as
being wide in scope, because the production of food for thesurvival of mankind merely involves the use of products
already existing in nature. However, the category focuses , on
the other hand, on research, advanced processes and new or
improved applications in science and technology and, in thisrespect, is narrower than it may appear.
To sum up, the scope of the two categories is balanced,
being neither too narrow or too wide. What I want to stress on
this occasion is to ask everybody to watch who will ultimately
be awarded the Prize. The real worth of the Japan Prize isreflected in the achievements of those who receive it. At thismoment, I have no idea at all who will be the laureates in therelevant fields. I do, however, hope that every person will bepleased and convinced with the ultimate laureates selected
and the achievements they have es tablished for mankind.
This requires streneous efforts to be made by the Selection
Committee which will choose the laureates.

* * * * * *Q: What does "material interface"mean?
A: It means a boundary region between
two different materials. Commonly, the"material interface" between vacuum
and crystal is called the "surface" of the""""'- 'crystal. However, "material interface"
has a rather wider meaning and inDr. Yasut:a Uemura eludes boundaries between liquid andcrystal, and even those between two
different crystals or liquids .
Recently, great progress has been made to form, to control,
and to observe various kinds of interfaces at the atomic ormolecular level.
As a resul t, various new applications have been developedwith feed-back effects which have in turn stimulated furth er

11111111

res earch in this field.
Q: What are the applications of "material interfaces"?
A: Typical examples are catalysts in chemical reactions andthe fabrication and integration of various kinds of semiconductor devices . In addition, "Science and Technology ofMaterial Interfaces" plays an important role in many functional materials such as; ( 1) this films, multilayered films, andartificial super lattices, (2) texture controlled alloys, (3) veryfine particles and colloidal dispersion, ( 4) electrode andsurface charge sensitive materials and in technologies sucl1
as, (5) adhesion, vapour deposition, and epitaxy, (6) tribolo
gy and lubrication.

* * * * * *Q: What rese arch subjects can be included in the coverage of the categoryof "Science and Technology for Biological Production"?
A: Other than the coverage of the category as defined and as comprehenced,
the followin g are the examples to befurther included:
Dr. Hiroshi Harada utilization of sea and fresh-water organisms (including aquaculture, analysis of
excursion phenomena of fishes);
propagation of livestock;production of drought and/or salt tolerant plants for theprevention of des ertification ;improved production of useful forest trees;
breeding of street trees and shrubs which could reduce air
pollutants;
human or animal food production from biomass convers ion
using new enzymes ; andproduction of useful subs tances by living organisms (forexample, amino acids, enzymes, proteins, hormones; antibiotics for agricultural and fishery use; new fun ctional substances).

Profiles of Japan Prize Laureates1985 (1st)1986 (2nd)1987 (3rd)Information and Communications··outstanding achievement in the field of electronics
and communications technologies "Materials Science and Technology"Pioneering contributions to materials science with
impact on new materials technology such as
amorphous solids"

Improvements of Biological Functions< Joint Award >"Development of th e /RB and IR36 strains fo r rice
breeding strategies geared to th e tropical andsubtropical zo nes "Dr, John R. Pierce (U.S.A.)
Pro fesso r emeritu s at Stanford
University.
Dr. Pierce's ach ievem ents in t11 e fieldof information and teleco mmun ica tionengin eerin g represent th e highest
scientific cal iber in t11 e Un ited States.
His work has resu lted in t11 e th eoreti cal
development of th e possibi li ti es of co mmun icati ons sa tellites and of broad-band di gital transmission s vi a pu lse code
modul ati ons and multivalent signa ls.

Biotechnology"Outstanding achievement in basic th eory in thef ield of immobilized enzymes and th eir practicalapplications"Dr. Ephraim Katchalski-Katzlr(lsrael)
Professor at Tel Aviv University and at
Weizmann In stitute of Sc ience.

Dr. Katzir, t11e fourt11 President of theState of Israe l from 1973 to 1978, iscredited wit h the inventi on anddevelopm ent of t11 e bio analyzer andbi oreactor, two devices employing
immobilized enzym es and ce lls whic l1 form part of thefoundation of biotecl1nology.

Dr, David Turnbull (U.S.A.)
Professor at Harvard University
Dr. Turnbull , wl10 formu lated theguiding principles of new _materia ls
developmen t, predi cted what kind s ofalloys wil l, like glass, tend to assume an
amorphous cl1aracter with an i rregularal ignment of atom s in rapid co olingfrom a molten sta te. In add ition , t11is promin ent sc ienti stclea red t11 e way fort11 e product ion of l1i gl1-density ce ramics
and perfect crystal s for use in ICs.

Medical Technology"Research and development of artificia l organs andth eir relevant technology "Dr, Willem J, Kolff (U.S.A.)
Professor at the University of Utah.
Hea d of tile Inst itute for Bi omedical
En gin eering. Sorn in th e Net11 erland s.
As fath er of th e art ifi cia l orga n tech nologies, Dr. Kolff acl1ieved clinicalsuccess in the development of a rotatin g drum-type kidn ey device in 19 43.
He t11 en conti nued to work to populariz e di sposa ble- typeartifi cial kidn eys wl1ile playi ng a leadin g rol e in t11e
development of artifi cial lun gs and hearts.

Dr, Henry M, Beachell (U.S.A.)
Former l1ead of th e Plant Breeding
Departm ent at the Intern ati onal Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) . Adviso r to th e
Farms of Texas Company.
Dr. Beacl1ell l1as taken part in th e
IRRl 's ri ce strain im prove ment projects
since th e institute·s estab li shment. In
19 66 li e developed th e IR8 strai n that l1 elped pave t11e way
for t11 e ·green revoluti on· in developing nati ons.

Dr. Gurdev S, Khush (India)
Hea d of th e Plant Breeding Depart ment at t11 e International Ri ce Rese arcl1
Institut e.
Ca rryin g on tl1 e work begun by Dr.
Beac hell , Dr. Kl1usl1 furt l1 er improved
IR8 and in 1976 deve loped IR3 6, a
stra in l1 igl1ly tolerant o f poor environ men tal conditions. IR36 co ntributed immensely to th e
att ainment of prod uction stability and self-suffi cie ncy i nri ce in tropical and subtro pi ca l countri es.

Electro- Optics'Development and demonstration of a ruby laser,
the world's first laser oscillation"
Dr, Theodore H, Maiman (U.S.A.)
Former cl1ief of researcl1 at Hughes
Researcl1 Laboratories. President of
Maiman Associates Inc.
Tl1is pioneer in electro-optics became in 1960 t11e first sc ientist to
succeed in generating radiation witha ruby laser, greatly aiding subsequent
research on lasers. Dr. Maiman has also made a major
contribution toward the advancement of the fields of"Discovery of AIDS-Causing Virus and Developmentof Diagnostic Methods" <Joint Award>
Dr, Luc Montagnier (France)
C11ief, Department of Virus Tumours,
Pa steu r Institute.
Leading t11e joint researcl1 sta ff at the
Pasteur Institute in 1983, Dr. Montagnierbecame t11e first researcl1er in the world
to discover HIV, tl1e pat110gen bel1ind
AIDS, thus launcl1ing t11e start of genuine HIV researcl1. He l1as also developed practical blood
serum diagnostic methods for t11e establishment of basic
preventative countermeasures.

natural science and engineering technology.

1988 (4th)Energy Technology"Establishment of Fast Breeder Reactor Technology"
Dr, Georges Vendryes (France)
Scientific advisor to t11e president of
t11e Commissariat a l'E nergie Atomique(CEA)
Following his contribution to t11eesta blisl1ment of tl1e fundamentals of

Dr, Robert C Gallo (U,S,A,)
C11ief, Laboratory of Tumour Cell
Biology, National Institutes of Healtll.
Leading hi s own independent researcl1 group, Dr Gallo establisl1ed amethod of cu lturing l1uman T cells andsucceeded in isolating tl1e HIV virus,
making a major contribution to analysis
of its relationsl1ip with AIDS. He is also a pioneer in the
research and development of AZT, the most effective AIDS
treatment t11u s far, as well as in t11e effort to manifest a virus
gene and realize and AIDS vaccine.

nuclear power design and the promotion of fast breeder reactor development, Dr. Vend ryes ' work led to the successful completionof '"Super Pl1oen ix, n t11e world 's first large-sca le test breeder, establishing practical technologies for a solu tion to
mankind 's energy problem in tl1e future.

Preventative Medicine"Smallpox and Its Eradication" < Joint Award>Dr, Donald A, Henderson (U,S,A)
Dean, Jol1ns Hopkins University,
School of Hygiene and Public Healtl1.
As t11e fi rs t cl1ief medical officer ofth e WHO World Smallpox Eradication
Office, Dr. Henderson dedicated l1is
efforts to t11e development of groupvaccination programs and contributed
to its l1istorical success tl1rougl1 t11e worldwide eradicationof smallpox.

Dr, lsao Arita (Japan)
Director, Kumarnoto National Hospital.
As the second chief medical officer oft11e WHO World Smallpox Eradication
Office, Dr. Arita establisl1ed basic
disease control knowledge and performed epidemiological analyses aswell as surveys and researcl1 into
vaccine quality impro vemen t.

Dr, Frank Fenner (Australia)
Professo r Emeritus, Visiting Fellow,
Tl1e Jolm Curtin Scl10ol of Medical
Re sea rch , Tl1e Australian National
University.
Dr. Fenner, as t11e chairman of
t11e WHO Smallpox Eradication Surveillance Committee, superv ised impl ementation of tl1e global smallpox eradication program andl1i s cons istent efforts greatly co ntributed to its success.

1989 (5th)1990 (6th)Technology
ofIntegration
Design,Production and Control Technologies''Establishment of an academicfield named Artificial
Intelligence and the proposal of fundamental
theories in that field"
Dr, Marvin Minsky (U.S.A.)
Professor of Electrical Engineering,
MIT. Born in 1927.
Dr Marvin Minsky published his paper"Steps Toward Artificial Intelligence" in1961 t11at gave Artificial Intelligence (Al)world wide exposure and l1a s earned
t11e title of "fat11er of Al" Artificial Intel ligence became increasingly complex by tl1e 1970s,
involving vast am6unts of knowledge and tJ1e need to use
spec ially appropriate pieces of knowledge at particula rtimes. Professo r Minsky proposed a t11eory of frames for theeffective representation and utilization of knowledge incomputers. In t11e 1980s, Al l1a s produced many morepractical application systems and many researcl1ers haveturned toward t11 e ques tion of how to make machines learn
more by themselves. In addition to t11e development of thet11eory and practical application systems, he empl1asizednecessity of study on l1uman mind in cluding emotion andself consciousness. In his book "Society of Mind ," Ile has
proposed a model of t11e l1uman mind wl1ich consists ofmany sma ll agents (computers) working together bycommunicating witl1 eacl1 ot11er. Hi s proposal is expected to
furt11er expand t11e Al tecl1nology to ot11er field s of sc ien ce
and to l1elp promote Al applications.

Environmental Science and Technology"Studies on the mechanisms of stratospheric ozone
depletion by chlorofluorocarbons"

Earth Science <Joint Award>"Initiation of the theory of plate tectonics andcontributions to its development"

Dr, Frank Sherwood Rowland (U.S.A.)
Professor at University of Ca lifornia
Irvin eIn 197 4, Dr Rowland, who studied
pl1ysical cl1emistry, was t11e world's firstscie nti st to point out t11e mecl1anisms
by wl1ich cl1l oro flu orocarbo ns could
destroy t11e ozone layer, wl1icl1 protects
life on eartl1 from harrnful ultraviolet solar radia tion .
He also predicted t11at if emission of cl1lorofluorocarbons
continues at a cu rrent rate , it would eventually result in a
7-130/o loss of t11e total ozone.
Dr. Rowland's tl1eoreti ca l in sigl1 ts and predictions l1ave
been verified by scientists t11rougl1out the world, and l1a ve
done much to strengthen international efforts for t11 e preservation of stratospheric ozone.

Dr, William Jason Morgan (U.S.A.)
Professor at Princeton University.
Born in 79 35.
Dr. Morgan began l1is revolutionary
work by dividing Eartln outer shell intosome 20 plates, analyzing their movements as rigid , rotating segments of
t11 e sl1ell, and measuring absolute
velocities of plate motion. Mid-oceanic ridges, subduction
zones and transform faults all came to be interpreted as
results of the movements of t11ese plates. Tl1e great significance of Dr. Morgan's t11eory became widely recognized
and l1i s work subsequen tly triggered numerous studies ina variety of fields,

Medicinal Science"Pioneering contributions to the syntheses of
prostaglandins and related compounds of great
therapeutic value"
Dr, Elias James Corey (U.S.A.)
Professor at Harvard University
Dr. Corey's study covered almost all
field s of organic cl1emi stry. He became
t11 e first researcl1er to synt11esize pure
prostaglandins in natural, optica lly
active form . T11is allowed tile large scale
production of all natural prostaglandins so as to provide a stab le supply for other researchers,
t11us contributing considerably to t11e development of
biocl1ernistry and medicine.
His synthesis l1ad three major advantages over otl1er
met110ds in terms of 1) efficiency, 2) versatility, and 3)
economy.
Dr. Corey's acl1ievement in t11 e synt11esis of eicosanoids
is a monumental work in modern medicinal science. It
is broadly expected tl1at this syn t11esis will facilitate development of medicines for sucl1 di seases as cerebral
t11romboisis , arteriosclerosis, gastric and intestinal ulcers.

Dr, Dan Peter McKenzie (U.K ,)Professor at Cambridge University.
Born in 1942.
Dr. McKenzie l1as analyzed earthquake
systems in t11e circum-Pacific region
and l1a s demonstrated independently
that t11e floor of t11e Pacifi c Ocean moves
as a single plate, rotating against Nort11
America and East Asia. In collaboration with Dr. Morgan, Dr.
McKenzie has also ca rried out a geometrical analysis of
triple j linctions wl1ere t11ree plates meet. Th is work l1a s co ntributed greatly to understa nding t11 e relative motion ofplates and t11e energetics of plate movements. He has also
proposed the l1i gl1ly original model t11at large sedimentarybasins, important in the formation of oil and natural gas
deposits, are formed by t11inning of the crust due to platemotion.

Dr. Xavier Le Pichon (France)
Directeur du Departement de Geologie, Ecol e Normale Superieure. Born in
7937
Dr. Le Picl1on, inspired by t11e work of
Dr. Morgan, has independently determined plate movements over tile entire
surface of Eartl1, using ocean floor
spreading velocities estimated from paleomagnetic patterns
and t11 e directions of transform faults. He has also
publisl1ed a book on plate tectonic s wl1icl1 l1as l1ad a great
influence on eart11 scientists tl1rougl10ut t11e world, and l1a s
played a major role in sea- fl oor investigation at plateboundaries. Tl1rougl1 t11es e work , lie l1as contributed
greatly to the understanding of tl1e geo logi cal nature ofplate boundaries under tile ocean.

Foundation's First Display at an International Exposition
The Foundation contributed its first display at an international exposition when it participated in the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition at Tsurumi-Ryokuchi, Osaka.
The Exposition was very successful drawing a total of 23 million
visitors. This made it the largest international exposition so far held inJapan.
The Foundation's participation involved displays in the Aqua Hall of
the International Exhibits from July through to the end of September.
The main theme of the display was suggested by Dr. Gurdev S.
Kush from India, who is Head of the Plant Breeding Department, International Rice Research Institute. He received the 1987 (3rd) Japan
Prize in the category of "Improvement of Biological Functions". The
theme was inspired by the research for which Dr. Kush was awarded
the Japan Prize: breeding of high yield rice varieties "IRS" and "IR36"
adapted to tropical and subtropical regions.
The Foundation's display was adjacent to Dr. Norman Borlaug's

display. Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1970,
for his contributions to enhancing wheat production.
Dr. Kush's suggestion for the main theme was made to the Foundation when he was in Japan last May.

Entire view of The International Garden andGreenery Exposition,and display.

General Science and Technology Seminars Held Monthly
The Foundation is holding a monthly General Science and Technology Seminar (in Japanese) for the general public free ofcharge. The aim is to promote a comprehensive spread anddevelopment of information and ideas regarding science andtechnology.
Lecturers at the seminars are distinguished scholars, scientists

and engineers who are recognized as leaders in their fields.
The lectures are presented in easy-to-understand Japanese
language.
Future subjects include "Electric Car" 'f\rtificial Organ" "Space
Development" "Biotechnology" and "Revolution of Materials".

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