The Japan Prize Foundation

Japan Prize

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

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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

(Names listed in alphabetical order. Titles and positions are valid as of January 2025)

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

(Names listed in alphabetical order. Titles and positions are valid as of January 2025)

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