Nomination and Selection Process

Selection Process

• Every 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 15,500 nominators, strictly comprised of prominent scientists and researchers from around the world invited by the Foundation, to nominate the candidates 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 a 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 two years 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 April in Tokyo.

Nomination and Selection Process for the 2025 Japan Prize Laureates

Members of the 2025 Japan Prize Selection Committee

Chairperson	Makoto Gonokami	President, RIKEN Former President, The University of Tokyo
Deputy Chairperson	Hiroyuki Mano	Director National Cancer Center Research Institute
Members	Mariko Hasegawa	President, Japan Arts Council Professor Emeritus, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
	Norio Kawakami	Vice Program Director, Fundamental Quantum Science Program, TRIP (Transformative Research Innovation Platform), RIKEN Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
	Masayuki Matsushita	Director The Japan Prize Foundation
	Yasutaka Moriguchi	Director, The Japan Prize Foundation Representative Director The Japan Foundation of Public Communication on Science and Technology
	Kyosuke Nagata	President University of Tsukuba
	Hideyuki Okano	Distinguished Professor, Keio University Director, Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center
	Tatsuya Okubo	Presidential Advisor, The University of Tokyo Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
	Hiroto Yasuura	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 “Materials Science and Production” fields
Chairperson	Norio Kawakami	Vice Program Director Fundamental Quantum Science Program TRIP (Transformative Research Innovation Platform), RIKEN Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
Deputy Chairperson	Yuichi Ikuhara	Distinguished Research Professor The University of Tokyo
Members	Itaru Hamachi	Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
	Osamu Ishitani	Professor (Special Appointment) Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology
	Yoshihiko Kanemitsu	Specially Appointed Professor, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
	Masako Kato	Professor Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, Kwansei Gakuin University
	Noboru Kikuchi	President, Toyota Konpon Research Institute, Inc.
	Kensuke Kobayashi	Professor, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
	Kyoko Nozaki	Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
	Tamio Oguchi	Specially Appointed Professor Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
	Yuichi Shimakawa	Director, Professor, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University
	Mitsuhiko Shionoya	Professor, Research Institute for Science and Technology Organization for Research Advancement, Tokyo University of Science Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
	Masashi Takigawa	Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
	Hideyuki Yasuda	Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
Specialist	Hidemitsu Furukawa	Professor, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University
	Tesuo Kondo	Professor, Enviro-sustainable materials science Lab (Endowed Chair), Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Selection Subcommittee for the “Biological Production, Ecology/Environment” fields
Chairperson	Mariko Hasegawa	President Japan Arts Council Professor Emeritus The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Deputy Chairperson	Yoh Iwasa	Professor Emeritus Kyushu University
Members	Kimio Hanawa	Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University
	Masakado Kawata	President-Appointed Extraordinary Professor Institute for Liberal Arts and Science, Tohoku University
	Hitomi Kumagai	Professor, College of Bioresource Sciences Department of Food Science and Technology, Nihon University
	Kazutaka Mogi	Professor, Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University
	Mayuko Nakamaru	Professor School of Environment and Society, Institute of Science Tokyo
	Sakae Shibusawa	WISE Program Professor, Organization for WISE Program, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
	Masakazu Shimada	Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
	Toru Shimada	Dean and Professor, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
	Hirokazu Toju	Professor, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
	Shin-ich Uye	Professor Emeritus, Hiroshima University
	Izumi Washitani	Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
Specialist	Shinji Fukuda	Project Professor Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University
	Takeshi Nakano	Professor, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
	Nobuko Saigusa	Director, Earth System Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies
	Hiroshi Shimizu	Professor Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University
	Yu Tanaka	Associate Professor Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University