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ARK Mori Building, East Wing 35th Floor, 1-12-32
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Tel: +81-3-5545-0551 Fax: +81-3-5545-0554
www.japanprize.jp

Jun. 2024

2024 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony
Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress
in attendance at this year’s function

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the 40th Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony took place in the presence of Their Majesties
the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Hotel in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The Japan Prize is an international award
presented to individuals whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology have promoted peace andprosperity for the humankind.
At the ceremony, the 2024 prize laureates were presented with a certificate of merit, a prize medal, and 100 million yen
per field as a supplementary prize. This year’s laureates were Professor Sir Brian J. Hoskins and Professor John Michael
Wallace from the field of Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure as well as Professor Ronald M.
Evans from the field of Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science.
Each year, the Japan Prize Foundation receives nominations from around 15,500 prominent scientists and researchers
worldwide, and the winners are chosen through a rigorous year-long selection process. Of the fields eligible for the prizein 2024, there were 130 nominations for the Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure field and 198
for the Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science field.
The establishment of the Japan Prize was motivated by the Japanese
government’s desire to create an internationally recognized award that would
contribute to scientific and technological development around the world. With
the support of numerous donations, the Japan Prize Foundation received
endorsement from the Cabinet Office in 1983.
The Japan Prize is awarded to scientists and engineers from around theworld 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 forthe award, with two fields selected each year in consideration of current
trends in scientific and technological development. In principle, one individualin each field is recognized with the award, and receives a certificate, a medal,
and a monetary prize. Each Award Ceremony is attended by the current
Emperor and Empress, heads of the three branches of government and otherrelated officials, and representatives from various other elements of society.

Address by His Majesty the Emperor

It brings me great pleasure to be here at the 2024

Science. I would like to pay tribute to the laureates forJapan Prize Presentation Ceremony, together with thetheir continued outstanding contributions throughdistinguished participants and guests from many

research to the prediction of extreme weather events

countries and regions across the world. On thecaused by global warming and the improved well-being

occasion of this esteemed ceremony, I would like toof humanity.

extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of theIn recent years, the challenges facing the world on a

distinguished laureates, Professor Sir Brian J. Hoskins,

global scale, including those in the aforementioned

Professor John Michael Wallace, and Professor Ronald

fields, have become increasingly diverse and complex.

M. Evans.

Therefore, we must work together hand-in-hand toThe Japan Prize was established based on private

overcome these challenges, drawing on the collective

donations in 1982, in accordance with the Japanese

wisdom from various fields of endeavour, underpinned

government’s vision of contributing to the development

by broader perspectives.

of science and technology throughout the world. TheI would like to conclude by expressing my sincere

Prize is awarded to scientists and engineers fromhope that the Japan Prize will further facilitate theacross t he globe who a re recog nised for t heir

advancement of science and technology, bringing

remarkable efforts to contribute to the peace andhappiness to people and contributing to the peace andprosperity of humankind based on their achievements

prosperity of humankind. Thank you very much.

that have contributed significantly to the advancementof science and technology.
The eligible fields for this year’ s Japan Prize wereResources, Energy, the Environment, and Social
Infrastructure and Medical Science and Pharmaceutical1

Presentation Ceremony

The 2024 Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony was held at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo in the presence of Their Majesties theEmperor and Empress. The magnificent occasion was celebrated by approximately 150 attendees, including distinguished guests suchas Mr. Hidehisa Otsuji, President of the House of Councillors; Mr. Saburo Tokura, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and Dr.
Masahito Moriyama, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. During the presentation ceremony, Chairman
Yoshio Yazaki of the Japan Prize Foundation presented the laureates certificates of merit and prize medals. The laureates received
warm applause from the audience as they held up their prize medals and expressed joy in their acceptance speeches.

Prof. Sir Brian J. Hoskins

Prof. John Michael Wallace

Congratulatory Speech
Mr. Hidehisa Otsuji

Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress applauding the recipients

Opening Remarks
Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama

Commemorative concert

Prof. Ronald M. Evans2Field: Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure

Establishment of a scientific foundation for understanding andpredicting extreme weather events

Prof. Sir Brian J. Hoskins
Born: 17 May 1945

Based in: UK

Born: 28 October 1940

Based in: USA

Professor
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading

Professor Emeritus
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington

Message from the Laureate

Message from the Laureate

Your Majesties the Emperor and Empress, Excellencies,
Members of the Japan Prize Foundation and its Selection
Committees, My Fellow Laureates and DistinguishedGuests,
I am delighted and very honoured to be awarded the2024 Japan Prize, and to share it with my friend andcol leag ue , P rofe s s or Wa l l ace . It is pa r t icu l a rly
meaningful to me that the award of the Japan Prize isdescribed as recognising achievements that havecontributed significantly to the peace and prosperity ofhumankind.
Increasing the understanding of weather and climate
is a major scientific challenge, and one that has beenhugely stimulating to me. Since understanding canenable improved prediction, meeting the scientificchallenge is also immensely rewarding. The need forimproved predictions is particularly clear at a time
when a changing climate and the associated extreme
weather events are having ever larger impact.
I should like to pay tribute to the input of all mycolleagues and students for their major contributions to
the research that is recognised in the citation, and to
my wife and family for their inspiration and support.

Your Majesties the Emperor and Empress, Membersof the Japan Prize Foundation and the Selection
Committee, Colleagues, and Distinguished Guests,
I’ m honored to have been chosen as a co-recipientof the 2024 Japan Prize. Like other laureates, I owe adebt of gratitude to the students and postdocs who
worked with me and to my family. I also want toa c k n owl e d g e t he hu nd r e d s o f s c i e nt i st s a ndengineers who contributed to the development of
remote sensing of the atmosphere from space andthe assimilation of these newly available observations
into numerical weather prediction models. My work
reflects the brilliance of their achievements, as dot he d ra mat ic adva nces in t he sk i l l of weat her
forecasts, which make our lives safer and more
comfortable, and our society better prepared to copewith the impacts of climate change. Thank you.

Brian J. Hoskins

3Prof. John Michael Wallace

John Michael Wallace

Field: Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science

Discovery of the nuclear hormone receptor family
and its application to drug development

Prof. Ronald M. Evans
Born: 17 April 1949

Based in: USA

Professor, Director of Gene Expression Laboratory,
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Message from the Laureate

Your Majesties the Emperor and Empress, I am truly
delighted to be the recipient of the 2024 Japan Prize for thediscovery of the Nuclear Hormone Receptor Superfamily. I
want to thank the distinguished jury for this honor.
At times it seemed t hat our work was everyt hing,enveloping us in a world of complex ideas and swirling
emotion, taking us to a place that no one had seen. Scienceis about asking the right question as I tell everyone who
joins my lab, “if you want a big answer, you must ask a bigquestion.” I have had the good fortune to work with aremarkable cadre of people, my “comrades in science,” someof whom are here today, who were not afraid to ask andwork on the big questions that opened doors to a new era ofmolecular physiology and the science of living systems. Forus, we ask how our studies of transcriptional physiology canhelp to understand human development and control humandisease. Biomedical research can only be pushed forward by
the next generation, and it is my hope to encourage thespirit of young people to pursue science and bring theirenergy and enthusiasm to help answer these questions.
I want to thank my wife Ellen and daughter Lena for
unflagging emotional support, advice and inspiration. And
many thanks to you all for sharing this special day.
Ronald M. Evans4

Japan Prize Commemorative Lectures
Field: Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure

Theme: Reflections on Many Years of Trying to Understand Atmospheric Motion

Prof. Sir Brian J. Hoskins

When I began my research career, much data on atmospheric and weather behavior had already been accumulated.
However, there was a significant gap between this data and weather forecasting systems. Later, satellite observations
were added, improving calculations by high-performance computers and allowing more accurate predictions. The
Norwegian cyclone model, developed about 100 years ago is also incorporated into today’ s weather forecast maps. We
further developed our weather forecasting system performance, so it determines temperature and wind direction andspeed in specific atmospheric layers mathematically and then converts this data into a three-dimensional distribution map.
More precise and complex models were subsequently employed to examine which pattern of atmospheric fluctuations in
the troposphere develops most rapidly with the forming of warm and cold fronts, to demonstrate the flow development
associated with each low- or high-pressure system over time. Furthermore, by applying the conserved quantity called
potential vorticity to examine the development of atmospheric flow at a distance about 10 kilometer above ground, we
made it possible to understand the development and decline of extratropical cyclones and the impact of the stagnant
circulation anomaly that brings abnormal weather.
Distant impact patterns have also clarified the far-reaching effects of phenomena occurring within a certain region.
Their cause, Rossby waves, can now explain extreme weather events, interannual variations, and climate change. Their
highly orderly movements enable us to predict weather within days, predict extreme weather events and conductcomparative analyses of annual global warming.

Field: Resources, Energy, the Environment, and Social Infrastructure

Theme: Encounters with Atmospheric Gravity Waves and Teleconnection Patterns

Prof. John Michael Wallace

His doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on a newly discovered phenomenon called
quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the tropical stratosphere. Assuming that gravity waves are the source of energy
causing wind fluctuations, a paper published by Dr. Matsuno of the University of Tokyo suggested that there are gravity
waves different from conventional gravity waves due to the influence of the Earth’ s rotation. Our research foundeastward waves with a long cycle relative to baroclinic waves, demonstrating that these were Kelvin waves as proposed
by Dr. Matsuno. In contrast, Messrs. Yanai and Maruyama at the University of Tokyo discovered Rossby waves thattravel westward with a short cycle. The behavioral movement of these gravity waves are explained using a simple model.
A similar model is also employed to explain the stagnation in mountainous regions and other areas.
We subsequently focused on tropospheric disturbances in addition to gravity waves, with a particular focus on
persistent circulatory abnormalities. By correlation coefficient mapping of pressure surface changes at a point having aheight of 500 millibars and all other points, we successfully narrowed down the vast amount of data accumulated overmany years. Remote influence patterns (teleconnection patterns) centered around reference grid points are now employedfor weather prediction. For example, if a polar vortex forms over the Far East, we can predict that a cold winter will cometo East Asia including Japan, resulting in an increased demand for fuel. Similarly, accumulated data on the El Niño
phenomenon can be employed to predict rainfall and temperature deviation patterns and other components. We will also
be able to make even more accurate weather predictions based on gravity waves and remote influence patterns.
Field: Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Science

Theme: Organ Physiology and Its Transcriptional Underpinning

Prof. Ronald M. Evans

5Nuclear hormone receptors involved in gene regulation have been investigated for about 40 years. This article explains
nutritional management after food intake, with a particular emphasis on the role of gene networks. The human bodycontains 50 nuclear receptors, with each cell having at least 22 of these receptors. These nuclear receptors also exist inanimals other than humans, but not in bacteria, viruses, or plants. Remarkably, these receptors can identify the exact
sequence among 3.2 billion nucleotides within seconds.
Nuclear receptor cloning, a field within organ physiology, encompasses the study of various biological functions,
including endocrinology, kinesiology, enzymology, nutritional science, immunology, cytology, and hemodynamics. This
study has facilitated the identification of various hormone receptors, most notably, bile acid receptors and peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). The identification of nuclear receptors has significantly contributed to drug
discovery, with many commercially available drugs developed based on these receptors. Bile acids play a crucial role in fat
absorption, while PPARs are involved in fat metabolism, leading to the development of medications to combat theepidemics of obesity and diabetes. Currently, a next-generation PPAR being developed in Boston, targets specificsubnetworks and is undergoing clinical trials to evaluate its effectiveness for central nervous system diseases besides
obesity. A bile acid receptor called the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) has been suggested as effective in treating colorectal
cancer by altering serum bile acid levels, thus overcoming virtually the relationship between diet and genes.

Watch the videos of the commemorative
lectures online.

https://www.youtube.com/user/JapanPrize/videos

Japan Prize Week
April 16

Presentation Ceremony

April 17

Commemorative Lectures

Interaction Gathering

April 18

Media Interview

April 19

Courtesy Call on the Prime Minister

Courtesy Call on the British Embassy

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Projects of the Foundation
For the further development of science and technology...
In addition to selecting and awarding the Japan Prize, the Japan Prize Foundation is engaged in projects designed to contributeto the development of science, technology, and society, including the oﬀering of research grants for the training of young scientists,and our “Easy-to-understand Science and Technology Seminars” aimed at the children who will lead the coming generations.

JAPAN PRIZEResearch Grants

The creation of the Japan Prize was motivated by theThe Heisei Memorial Research Grant Program is named

Japanese government’s desire to “contribute to the development

after Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empressof science and technology worldwide by establishing a prestigious

Emerita, who have been interested in the research activities ofinternational award.” The Japan Prize was established in 1983

young scientists and have encouraged them for many years.

with a cabinet endorsement and is supported by numerous private
donations.

The Foundation primarily provides research grants toscientists under 45 years of age. The Foundation annually

The award honors scientists and researchers from around theselects four to eight scientists engaged in research thatworld, recognizing individuals who have contributed significantly

transcends the boundaries between diﬀerent ﬁelds andto the peace and prosperity of humankind through original anddisciplines and contributes to solving social issues. They areoutstanding achievements that have greatly advanced the progressthen provided with grants worth ﬁve to ten million yen.

of science and technology.

The Heisei Memorial Research Grant was established as aResearchers working in all fields of science and technology aremeans of expressing our profound appreciation to theireligible to receive the Japan Prize. Each year, it is awarded forMajesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita forachievements in two fields, which are selected by considering

their great generosity in granting this award.

recent developments in science and technology. As a general(Applicants must belong to a research organization in Japan to be eligible for a grant.)

rule, one award is given for each field and each laureate receives
a certificate of merit, a prize medal, and prize of 100 million yen.
The Presentation Ceremony is held annually in the presenceof Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan and isalso attended by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Houseof Representatives, the President of the House of Councillors,
the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, numerous government
ministers, and eminent figures from various other areas.

“Easy-to-UnderstandScience and Technology Seminars”
The Foundation holds various seminars for students andother members of the public. These seminars are conductedby experts who use plain language to explain the advanced
technologies commonly usedin everyday life.
More than 300 seminars
have been held since theprogram was launched in
March 1989.

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