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No. 47Jan. 20122012 Japan Prize Laureates Announced
Dr. Janet Rowley, Dr. Brian Druker, and Dr. Nicholas Lydon
for developing a new therapeutic drug targeting cancer-specific molecules
Dr. Masato Sagawa for developing the world’s highest performing
permanent magnet and contributing to energy conservation“Healthcare and Medical Technology” field

Dr. Janet D. Rowley

Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professorof Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and
Human Genetics The University of Chicago
USA

Dr. Brian J. Druker

Professor
Director, OHSU Knight Cancer InstituteOregon Health & Science University
USA“Environment, Energy and Infrastructure” field

Dr. Nicholas B. Lydon

Dr. Masato Sagawa

USA

Japan

Founder and Director
Blueprint Medicines

PresidentIntermetallics Co., Ltd.

The Japan Prize Foundation has decided to award the 2012 Japan Prizes to Dr. Janet Rowley, Blum-Riese DistinguishedService Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago;Dr. Brian Druker, Professor and Director, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University; Dr.
Nicholas Lydon, Founder and Director, Blueprint Medicines; and Dr. Masato Sagawa, President, Intermetallics Co., Ltd.
Dr. Rowley, Dr. Druker and Dr. Lydon will be awarded in the field of “Healthcare and Medical Technology” for thedevelopment of a new therapeutic drug targeting cancer-specific molecules.
In the field of “Environment, Energy and Infrastructure” Dr. Sagawa will be awarded for the development of the world’s
highest performing Nd-Fe-B type permanent magnet, and thereby contributing to energy conservation.
The Laureates will be formally honored at the Presentation Ceremony to be held in Tokyo on April 25, 2012.

The Japan Prize is awarded to scientists throughout the world who havebeen credited with original and outstanding achievements and have mademajor contributions to the advancement of science and technology, thereby
manifestly furthering the cause of peace and the prosperity of mankind.

While the prize encompasses all categories of science and technology, twofields of study are designated for the prize each year in consideration ofdevelopments in science and technology.
Each Japan Prize laureate receives a certificate of merit and a commemorative
medal. A cash prize of 50 million yen is also awarded to each prize field.

detection of an abnormal chromosome, the Philadelphia chromosome, in the white blood cells of patients with CML.

“Healthcare and Medical Technology” field
Achievement : Development of a new therapeutic drug
targeting cancer-specific molecules

Dr. Janet D. Rowley

Born : April 5, 1925 (Age 86)
Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular
Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago

Dr. Brian J. Druker

Born : April 30, 1955 (Age 56)
Professor and Director of OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon
Health & Science University

Dr. Nicholas B. Lydon

Born : February 27, 1957 (Age 54)
Founder and Director, Blueprint Medicines

Summary
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a disease which is
caused when a hematopoietic stem cell in the bone marrow turns
cancerous. In 2001, with the introduction of the molecularly
targeted drug imatinib, treatment results dramatically improved. The
origin of imatinib began in 1973 when Dr. Janet Rowley discoveredthat chromosomes 9 and 22 were recombined in the white blood cellsof patients with CML. Dr. Brian Druker and Dr. Nicholas Lydon
succeeded in developing a drug which suppressed the activity of the
BCR-ABL protein which occurs as a result of the chromosomal
recombination. At present, molecularly targeted drugs are indispensable to the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, and theresults obtained from the studies of Dr. Rowley, Dr. Druker and Dr.
Lydon underscored the importance of developing molecularly
targeted drugs, providing a guiding post for future research.

Understanding the molecular mechanism that triggers
chronic myelogenous leukemia
Decoding of the human genome in 2003 and rapid improvements
in technologies for genetic analyses have led to high expectations forthe medical applications of these technologies. In cancer research,
many of the genetic abnormalities that cause cancer have been
discovered and many drugs targeting these molecular abnormalities
are being introduced.
The forerunner of molecularly targeted drugs is imatinib for CML.
The research leading to the development of imatinib goes back to the
1960’s and 70’s when gene analysis technologies as we know them
today, had not been introduced. The first breakthrough was the

Diagram 1 : Recombination of chromosomes discoveredby Dr. Rowley

Around that time, Dr. Janet Rowley had received a doctorate fromthe University of Chicago School of Medicine and was leading a
fruitful life as a doctor, medical researcher and a mother. In 1962,
she studied in the U. K. for 1 year as a researcher dispatched from theN I H (U. S. National Institutes of Health) where she learned methods
to distinguish healthy chromosomes from abnormal ones.
After returning home, Dr. Rowley continued her research in the
Department of Hematology at her alma mater. One of the subjects
she worked on was the Philadelphia chromosome. By using quinacrine fluorescence and Giemsa staining of chromosomes, theleading-edge research methods of the time, Dr. Rowley clarified thechromosomal mechanisms that created the Philadelphia chromosome. A human cell nucleus has 22 sets of autosomal chromosomes
and 1 set of sex chromosomes, but in patients with CML, chromosomes 9 and 22 recombine (reciprocal translocation), causing thePhiladelphia chromosome to be formed.
Dr. Rowley’s research had an enormous impact on the understanding of the chromosome abnormalities that cause cancer. Dr. Rowley
also made the connection between acute myelogenous leukemia andthe reciprocal translocation of human chromosomes 8 and 21.

Aiming to develop side effect-free anticancer drugs thattarget specific genes
Dr. Rowley’s studies, carried out in the 1970’s, opened the way
for the development of an effective therapy for CML. Discoveries
from several international research groups led to the recognition thatthe reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 caused
the ABL gene found on chromosome 9 to be combined with the BCR
gene on chromosome 22. This abnormal fusion gene, BCR-ABL,
produces a protein with elevated tyrosine kinase activity that causes
CML.
Tyrosine kinases are essential enzymes that regulate various cellular functions, including cell differentiation, proliferation and immune
reactions. Thus, in the early 1980’s, many oncologists began tothink that “tyrosine kinases which had gone out of control could
cause cells to turn cancerous.” Dr. Brian Druker who was beginning
his career as an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston, U.S., was one of them.
Dr. Druker who focused his research on CML, embarked on finding a drug to inhibit the action of the BCR-ABL protein, and established a collaboration with Dr. Nicholas Lydon of Ciba-Geigy. At

Diagram 2 : Imatinib mechanism
ATP
Abnormalproliferationof cells

reciprocaltranslocation
BCR

ATP binding
chromosome
n.22

Philadelphia
chromosome

imatinib
BCR-ABL kinase
Cell proliferationis halted

ABL

chromosome no.9

chromosome no.9

In many CML patients, a recombination of chromosome no. 9 and no. 22 can be
seen. As a result, the ABL gene and the BCR gene are fused, forming BCR-ABL
kinase.

imatinib binding
BCR-ABL kinase binds itself to ATP without any signal transmission substanceand causes unlimited proliferation. By attaching itself to the ATP binding site,
imatinib inhibits this process.

the time, most anticancer drugs killed the tumor, but also damaged
normal cells. Both Dr. Druker and Dr. Lydon agreed that by inhibiting the action of the BCR-ABL protein, which only CML patients
have, they could develop an effective drug with minimal side effects.
It heralded a new drug development technique in which a drug specifically targets a causative molecular abnormality in cancer.
However, there were many issues. In the human body, there are
more than 90 tyrosine kinases. If several tyrosine kinases were
inhibited, there was a possibility that serious side effects would beseen. In 1986, Dr. Lydon working at the pharmaceutical company
Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis Pharma) established a program to identify
compounds that could inhibit the enzymatic activity of tyrosine
kinases using a reagent provided by Dr. Druker from his research ontyrosine kinases. Dr. Lydon’s group made good progress and in
1993, after Dr. Druker had established his own laboratory, they
began a collaboration aimed at determining the clinical applicationof compounds discovered by Dr. Lydon and his research team. In
1996, Dr. Druker and Dr. Lydon published an article about a newcompound, imatinib that killed cultured cells containing the BCRABL gene without affecting normal cells.

Progress in molecularly targeted drugs opens the way forthe treatment of intractable diseases
The article published by Dr. Druker and Dr. Lydon immediately
attracted the attention of oncologists. In 1998, Novartis Pharma
began clinical trials with imatinib with Dr. Druker serving as theprincipal investigator. The trials verified that imatinib inhibits theaction of the BCR-ABL protein and by doing so led to dramatic
improvements in the survival of patients with CML. The remarkableeffectiveness and safety of the drug for patients with CML led toregulatory approval of imatinib (trade name Glivec) in the US andJapan in May 2001 and November 2001, respectively.
The molecular mechanism of action of imatinib has also been
made clear. Tyrosine kinases are activated when they receive an
external stimulus. This leads to binding of ATP (adenosine 3 phosphate), which allows the activated tyrosine kinase to send a proliferation signal to the cell nucleus. In contrast, the BCR-ABL protein isconstantly activated, binding ATP, causing the cells to proliferate ina deregulated way (resulting in cancer). By binding to the ATPbinding site of the BCR-ABL protein, imatinib prevents ATP frombeing bound to and activating the BCR-ABL protein. As a result, acell proliferation signal is not transmitted, enabling the proliferationof CML cells to be inhibited.
CML is a disease which occurs in 40,000 people worldwide per
year. Historically, if the disease reached the blastic phase, there wasno effective treatment. Owing to the introduction of imatinib, resulting from the studies of Dr. Rowley, Dr. Druker and Dr. Lydon, theblastic phase can largely be avoided and CML has been converted toa manageable condition. Their work has allowed molecularly
targeted drugs including low-molecular weight compounds such as
imatinib and antibodies to become the focus of drug development for
intractable diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders.

“Environment, Energy and Infrastructure”field
Achievement : Developing the world’s highest performing
Nd-Fe-B type permanent magnet andcontributing to energy conservation

Dr. Masato Sagawa

Born : August 3, 1943 (Age 68)
President, Intermetallics Co., Ltd.

Summary
One of the fundamental materials which support our highly
industrialized society is a permanent magnet. In order to respond to
the expectations for a stronger magnet, the Sm-Co(samarium-cobalt)
magnet was developed in the 1960’s. However, because cobalt was arare resource, the scope of its application was limited. Amid such a
climate, Dr. Masato Sagawa embarked on the challenge of achieving
a permanent magnet using iron, an abundant resource. Dr. Sagawa
engaged in research and development of magnetic materials from acompletely different perspective to the conventional. In 1982, hediscovered the Nd-Fe-B(neodymium-iron-boron) magnet that has theworld’s largest energy product which breaks the Sm-Co magnet’s
record in the maximum energy product, and achieved the industrialization of this magnet. Motors which use neodymium magnets arecompact, lightweight and highly efficient. Thus, they have greatly
contributed to the solution of global environmental issues throughpower-saving industrial and household electronic products as well as
through the high efficiency of new energy sources such as wind power
generators.

The progress of permanent magnets using rare earth
elements has created modern industry
A permanent magnet refers to an object which continues to supply
magnetic flux without the supply of external magnetic fields orelectric currents. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, in his writing“Ion,” refers to “magnesia stone” which attracts iron, indicating thatthe existence of permanent magnets was known from ancient times.
Man created permanent magnets by his own hand in the 18th
Century. At that time, only weak magnets could be made which wereused for compass indicators. However, in the 20th Century when theuse of electric power gained momentum, expectations were raised
toward permanent magnets to create a stable magnetic field. Thereafter, many permanent magnets were developed. For example, in 1917
Kotaro Honda of Japan invented the KS steel, and in 1931 Tokushichi
Mishima invented the MK steel, and later the Alnico magnet. In 1937
Yogoro Kato and Takeshi Takei invented the OP magnet and later the
ferrite magnet. By means of the appearance of highly efficient
generators and motors, mankind was able to attain the age ofhigh-tech industry.

Diagram 3 : History of permanent magnet development
60

neodymium magnet

max
（BH）
［MGOe］

50
40
30
samarium-cobalt magnet

20

alnico magnet

10
0

MK steelKS steel

OP magnet

ferrite magnet

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Rare earth magnets have significantly higher maximum magnetic energy
product in comparison to conventional permanent magnets. Among them,neodymium magnets exceed 50MGOe and have been mass produced.

The development race of permanent magnets reached a turning
point in the 1960’s with progress in the research of rare earthmagnets. Rare earth magnets are magnets which have as theirprimary components metal compounds consisting of rare earth
elements and cobalt. The samarium-cobalt magnet which wasdeveloped first was refined in the 1970’s, and the value of the“maximum energy product” (MGOe: megagauss-oersted), indicating magnetic performance, was dramatically boosted (Diagram 3).
However, the samarium-cobalt magnet had disadvantages. Bothcobalt and samarium were scarce and costly resources, and they
were not magnetic materials which could meet large demand. Thus,in the 1970’s, there was a growing demand for an inexpensive, strong
magnet.

The creation of neodymium magnet was inspiredby a symposium lecture
The desire to invent with one’s own hands a rare earth magnet
without the use of cobalt...such was the big dream of Dr. Masato
Sagawa who joined a domestic electronic company after completinga doctorate course at the graduate school of Tohoku University. Dr.
Sagawa received an important inspiration when he attended a
symposium. At the symposium, Dr. Masaaki Hamano, who was theleading researcher for rare earth permanent magnets who now
serves as a fellow of the Society of Non-Traditional Technology,
gave a speech about the difficulty of replacing cobalt with iron in therare earth magnets.
One of the challenges in rare earth magnets using iron was the
low Curie temperature which is known as the temperature above
which the magnetic ordering disappears. In the crystal structurecomposed of rare earth and iron, the interatomic distance of the iron
was too close, which causes the low Curie temperature. This was the
explanation of Dr. Hamano.
While listening to the lecture, an idea came to Dr. Sagawa’s head.
The idea was, “if elements with small atomic diameter such ascarbon or boron were placed between the rare earth and iron atoms,
the distance between iron and iron would be extended and the Curie
temperature could be raised.” Also, “as rare earth elements,
neodymium which is a more abundant resource and with greatermagnetic moment, should be used in place of samarium.”
There are 2 steps in inventing a magnet. The first step is to findan intermetallic compound that has great makings for a high performance magnet. The second step is “making a permanent magnet” inorder to develop the optimum alloy microstructure based on the newintermetallic compound. Following the symposium, Dr. Sagawa
immediately began working on the experiment of magnetic materials combining these elements, and after a few months discovered the
Nd-Fe-B intermetallic compound. He had a succession of new ideas
for making a permanent magnet based on the new intermetallic
compound, but because the company he was affiliated with was
engaged in a different project, he was not able to engage in full-scale
development of a new permanent magnet.
Amid such a background, it was Sumitomo Special Metals
Company (now Hitachi Metals Limited, NEOMAX Company) thattook notice of the potential of Nd-Fe-B magnet and welcomed Dr.
Sagawa to join them. Dr. Sagawa, along with the Sumitomo Special
Metals development team, embarked on the effort for making apermanent magnet, and within a few months after Dr. Sagawa joined
this company and 5 years from his initial inspiration, a new permanent magnet base on the Nd-Fe-B intermetallic compound wasborne; it has a Curie temperature as high as 310 ℃ and the
maximum magnetic energy product of 35MGOe. Around the sametime, certain companies overseas also took notice of the Nd-Fe-B
magnet, but Dr. Sagawa and his associates continued to pioneer new
approaches in the research for the commercialization of the newmagnet. For example, in producing the magnet, a sintering method
which had high volume efficiency and a wide range of application
had been selected by Dr. Sagawa. To industrialize this process, it
was necessary to develop a sophisticated technology to form a
microstructure suited for a high performance permanent magnet by

Diagram 4 : Revealed structure of Nd-Fe-B magnets
neodymium
iron
boron
The crystal structure of theintermetallic compound whichconstitutes the Nd-Fe-B
magnet. The structure inwhich the neodymium atoms
are between the layers thatiron atoms form produces
superior magnetic properties,
and boron which is a mere
1% of the weight is thought tobe effective in raising theCurie temperature.

handling ferromagnetic particles broken down into micron order.
In addition, they were still in the process of development and hadvarious issues to overcome before commercialization, such as
further improvements in heat resistance and corrosion resistance.
However, by replacing a part of the neodymium with dysprosium,heat resistance was improved and with the newly developed coating
technique, the heat corrosion problem was also overcome.

The progress of neodymium magnets has achieved energy
conservation and is contributing greatly to the preservationof the global environment
Neodymium magnet, the world’s strongest magnet was createdfrom the inspiration gained at the symposium in 1978. In the 1980’s
and 1990’s, research and development was carried out, andpresently, neodymium magnets which have the dream-like performance of 50MGOe are being mass produced.
Additionally, the impact that neodymium magnets have had onsociety has also proved extremely great. Not only they have madepossible higher performance electronic products including HDDs,
which serve as external storage for computers, but they have also
contributed towards the development of environmental technology
such as energy conservation and new energy sources.
Furthermore, motors using neodymium magnets are morecompact and have higher efficiency in comparison to the conventional dielectric motors. Thus, they are used extensively fromhousehold electronic appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and vacuum machines to elevators, transport machinery,machine tools and heavy construction machinery, thereby contributing greatly to energy conservation. Motors account for a highpercentage in the global power demand, and in Japan, for instance,
it occupied 57% of the domestic power demand in 2005. By replacing traditional induction motors with high efficiency motors using
neodymium magnets, a considerable amount of electricity can besaved. Additionally, not only are they used as effective measuresagainst global warming and application for wind-generated electricity which is rapidly spreading as a new source of energy, but they
are also used for all hybrid and electric cars. Thus, their contribution toward energy conservation and the reduction of carbon dioxide
emissions is steadily increasing.
In 1988, Dr. Sagawa founded Intermetallics, a research anddevelopment company. In cooperation with university researchers,
he has pioneered new potential for neodymium magnets. For
example, in order to improve the temperature properties, a large
quantity of dysprosium is used in neodymium magnets. However,similar to cobalt, dysprosium is a very rare resource. Intermetallics
has developed a new manufacturing process where dysprosium use
can be reduced to a half or eventually to one-tenth in order toachieve the same conventional magnetic force. It is anticipated that
this can lead to increasing popularity of environmentally friendly
electric cars and effective use of natural resources.

Nominations and Selection Process■

Every November the Fields 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 13,000
nominators, strictly comprised of prominent scientists and researchers from around the world invited by theFoundation, to nominate the candidates through the web by JPNS (Japan Prize Nomination System). The deadline fornominations is the end of February of following year.

■

For each field, a Selection Subcommittee conducts a rigorous evaluation of the candidates’ academic achievements. The
conclusions are then forwarded to Selection Committee, which conducts evaluations of candidates’ achievements froma wider perspective, including contributions to the progress of science and technology, and significant advancement
towards the cause 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 one year from the time that the fields are decided. Every January,
the winners of that year’s Japan Prize are announced. The Presentation Ceremony is held in mid-April in Tokyo.

November, 2010

End February, 2011

Determinethe fields eligible
for the 2012
Japan Prize
Environment,
Energy and Infrastructure

January, 2012

Mid. April, 2012

Announce
the Laureatesof the 2012
Japan Prize

The 2012
Japan Prize
Presentation
Ceremony

Selection Committee

Invite thenominations

Closing of thenominations

Healthcare andMedical Technology

Environment,
Energy and Infrastructure
Selection Subcommittee

Board ofDirectors

Healthcare andMedical Technology
Selection Subcommittee

Members of the 2012 Japan Prize Selection Committee
Member Makoto Asashima

Executive Director,
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Member Kunio Iwatsuki

ChairmanVice Chairman

Hiroshi Komiyama

Ryozo Nagai

Chairman of the Institute,
Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.,
President Emeritus,
The University of Tokyo

Professor,
Graduate School of Medicine,
The University of Tokyo

Director,
The Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo

Member Yoshio Karita

Director, The Japan Prize Foundation

Member Masafumi Maeda

Executive Vice President,
The University of Tokyo

Member Masayuki Matsushita

Director, The Japan Prize Foundation

Member Makoto Misono

Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Member Hideo Miyahara

President, National Institute of Information andCommunications Technology

Member Takehiko Sasazuki

University Professor,
Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University

Selection subcommittee for the “Environment, Energy and Infrastructure” field
Member Kazunari Domen

Professor, Department of Chemical System Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Chairman

Deputy Chairman

Makoto Misono

Takashi Ibusuki

Professor Emeritus,
The University of Tokyo

Senior Vice President,
Japan Environmental
Management Association
for Industry

Member Masayuki Kamimoto

Director, North Japan Research Institutefor Sustainable Energy, Hirosaki University

Member Yohichi Gohshi

Member Isao Mochida

Executive Auditor, University of Tsukuba

Professor,Research and Education Center ofCarbon Resources, Kyushu University

Member Syunsuke Ikeda

Member Shinichiro Ohgaki

Member Kotaro Inoue

Member Takashi Tatsumi

General Manager, Ikeda Laboratory,
CTI Engineering Co., Ltd.
Principal Fellow,
Japan Science and Technology Agency

President,
National Institute for Environmental Studies
Director, Chemical Resources Laboratory,
Professor, Division of Catalytic Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Member Mikiko Ishikawa

Professor, Graduate School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo

Selection subcommittee for the “Healthcare and Medical Technology” field
Member Koichi Akashi

Professor and Director, Department of Medicine andBiosystemic Science, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University

Member Nobuyuki Miyasaka

Chairman

Deputy Chairman

Takehiko Sasazuki

Aikichi Iwamoto

University Professor,
Institute for Advanced Study,
Kyushu University

Professor,
The Institute of Medical Science,
The University of Tokyo

Director, University Hospital of Medicine, Professor, Department ofMedicine and Rheumatology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Member Masaki Mori

Member Tetsuo Noda

Director, Cancer Institute,Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research

Member Keiya Ozawa

Professor and Chairman, Division of Hematology, Departmentof Medicine Director, Center for Molecular Medicine
Professor, Division of Genetic Therapeutics, Center for
Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University

Chairman and Professor, Department of Gastroenterological
Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University

Member Yasuharu Nishimura

Member Sumio Sugano

Professor, Department of Immunogenetics,
Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University

Professor, Department of Medical Genome Sciences,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Member Mitsuhiko Noda

Member Shoichiro Tsugane

Director, Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine,National Center for Global Health and Medicine

Chief, Epidemiology and Prevention Division, Research Centerfor Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center( alphabetical order, titles as of December, 2011)

Fields Eligible for the 2013 Japan Prize Selected
Areas ofPhysics, Chemistry andEngineering

Materials and Production

Background and rationale:

Discoveries and inventions of new materials with unprecedented functions as well as advanced production technologies have brought about
numerous technological innovations, thereby contributing greatly to the advancement of society.
Development of materials with new functions such as semiconductors, natural products, nano-materials and new catalysts, and also new
production technologies such as computer-aided design and manufacturing and measuring techniques have all contributed in creating highly
developed and innovative industries of today.
In order to make effective use of finite resources, protect the environment and maintain the continuous prosperity of our society, further
development of materials with new functions and epoch-making production technologies have come to be indispensable.

Achievement eligible:

The 2013 Japan Prize in the fields of “Materials and Production” is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to society byachieving momentous scientific and technological breakthroughs that improve the quality and safety of people’s lives by designing anddeveloping materials with new functions, or advanced production technologies that will create new products and industries.
Areas of
Life Science,
Agriculture and Medicine

Biological Production and Biological Environment

Background and rationale:

The existence of human being on Earth is completely dependent on the continuous and diverse use of biological resources. In recent years,
however, the biological environment of our planet which fosters indispensable biological resources is deteriorating rapidly.
Despite the advent of many technological innovations that have dramatically increased our food production capacity, the human race is set tooutgrow that capacity at an even greater pace.
In order to protect the precious biological environment in our global society, there is an ever growing need for development of environmental
technologies for conservation of biodiversity and creation of sustainable and environmentally-conscious biological production technologies.

Achievement eligible:

The 2013 Japan Prize in the fields of “Biological Production and Biological Environment” is awarded to individuals who have madesignificant contributions to the welfare of society by achieving momentous scientific and technological breakthroughs in development oftechnologies that will measure, evaluate and respond to the effects of human activity on the environment, thereby helping to protect andconserve biodiversity and biological environment, or eradicate hunger and poverty by improving biological productivity of food andother useful materials.

Fields Selection Committee for the 2013 Japan Prize
Member Kazuhito Hashimoto

Professor,
School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

ChairmanVice Chairman

Yoshio Yazaki

Katsuhiko Shirai

President,
National Hospital
Organization

Chairperson,
The Foundation
for the Open Universityof JapanMember Kenichi Mori

Professor,Graduate School of Innovation Studies,Tokyo University of Science

Member Yoshihiro Hayashi

Member Noriko Osumi

Professor, Human and Animal-Plant Relationships,
Tokyo University of Agriculture

Professor,
Tohoku University School of Medicine

Member Nobuhide Kasagi

Member Masakatsu Shibasaki

Professor,
School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Member Tsutomu Kimura

Executive Director of Board of Directors,
Microbial Chemistry Research Foundation

Member Atsuko Tsuji

Advisor to the Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Editorial Writer, The Asahi Shimbun

Member Hiroshi Kuwahara

Senior Advisor Emeritus, Hitachi Maxell Ltd.

( alphabetical order, titles as of December, 2011)

Schedule (2013-2015)
The fields eligible for the Japan Prize (2013 to 2015) have been decided for the two research areas, respectively.
These fields rotate every three years, basically.
Every year the Fields Selection Committee announces the eligible fields for the next three years.
Areas of Physics, Chemistry and Engineering

Areas of Life Science, Agriculture and Medicine

Year

Eligible Fields

Year

Eligible Fields

2013
2014
2015

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

2013
2014
2015

Biological Production, Biological Environment
Life Science
Medical Science, Medicinal Science