Japan Prize
The Japan Prize (日本国際賞) is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind."
Explanation
It is presented by The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan. The prize consists of a certificate, a commemorative medal and a cash award of approximately 50 million yen (about USD$450,000). Only living individuals may be nominated for the prize.
Laureates
| Year | Name | Nationality | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Shun’ichi Iwasaki |  Japan
|
for contributions to high-density magnetic recording technology by the development of a perpendicular magnetic recording method. |
| Peter Vitousek |  United States
|
for contributions to solving global environmental issues based on the analysis of nitrogen and other substances’ cycles. | |
| 2009 | Dennis L. Meadows | United States
|
for contributions in the area of "Transformation towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature". |
| David E. Kuhl | United States
|
for contributions in the area of "Technological integration of medical science and engineering". It means the tomographic imaging in nuclear medicine. | |
| 2008 | Vinton Gray Cerf Robert E. Kahn |
United States United States
|
for the creation of network architecture and communication protocol for the Internet. |
| Victor A. McKusick | United States
|
for the establishment of medical genetics and contributions to its development. | |
| 2007 | Albert Fert Peter Grünberg |
 France  Germany
|
for the discovery of Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) and its contribution to development of innovative spin-electronics devices. |
| Peter Shaw Ashton |  United Kingdom
|
for contributions to the conservation of tropical forest. | |
| 2006 | John Houghton | United Kingdom
|
for pioneering research on atmospheric structure and composition based on his satellite observation technology and for promotion of international assessments of climate change. |
| Akira Endo | Japan
|
for the discovery of the Statins and their development. | |
| 2005 | Makoto Nagao | Japan
|
for pioneering contributions to Natural Language Processing and Intelligent Image Processing. |
| Masatoshi Takeichi Erkki Ruoslahti |
Japan United States
|
for fundamental contribution in elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Adhesion. | |
| 2004 | Kenichi Honda Akira Fujishima |
Japan Japan
|
for pioneering work on photochemical catalysis and its application for the environment. |
| Keith J. Sainsbury |  New Zealand
|
for contributions to the understanding of shelf ecosystems and their sustainable utilization. | |
| John H. Lawton | United Kingdom
|
for observational, experimental and theoretical achievements for the scientific understanding and conservation of Biodiversity. | |
| 2003 | Benoît Mandelbrot James A. Yorke |
United States United States
|
for the creation of universal concepts in complex systems - Chaos and Fractals. |
| Seiji Ogawa | Japan
|
for the discovery of the principle for functional magnetic resonance imaging. | |
| 2002 | Tim Berners-Lee | United Kingdom
|
for advancement of civilization through invention, implementation and deployment of the World Wide Web. |
| Anne McLaren Andrzej K. Tarkowski |
United Kingdom  Poland
|
for pioneering work on mammalian embryonic development. | |
| 2001 | John B. Goodenough | United States
|
for the discovery of environmentally benign electrode materials for high energy density rechargeable lithium batteries. |
| Timothy R. Parsons |  Canada
|
for the contributions to the development of Biological/Fisheries Oceanography and for conservation of fishery resources and marine environment. | |
| 2000 | Ian L. McHarg | United States
|
for the establishment of an ecological City Planning Process and a proposal of a Land Use Evaluation System. |
| Kimishige Ishizaka | Japan
|
for the discovery of Immunoglobulin E and mechanisms of IgE-mediated allergic reactions. | |
| 1999 | W. Wesley Peterson | United States
|
for the establishment of coding theory for reliable digital communication, broadcasting and storage. |
| Jack L. Strominger Don C. Wiley |
United States United States
|
for the elucidation of the three dimensional structures of class I and class II human histocompatibility antigens and their bound peptides. | |
| 1998 | Leo Esaki | United States
|
for the creation and realization of the concept of man-made superlattice crystals which lead to generation of new materials with useful applications. |
| Jozef S. Schell Marc C. E. Van Montagu |
 Belgium Belgium
|
for the establishment of the theory and method of the production of transgenic plants. | |
| 1997 | Takashi Sugimura Bruce N. Ames |
Japan United States
|
for the contribution to establishment of fundamental concept on causes of cancer. |
| Joseph F. Engelberger Hiroyuki Yoshikawa |
United States Japan
|
for the establishment of the Robot Industry and Creation of a Techno-Global Paradigm. | |
| 1996 | Charles K. Kao | United States
|
for pioneering research on wide-band, low-loss optical fiber communications. |
| Masao Ito | Japan
|
for the elucidation of the functional principles and neural mechanisms of the cerebellum. | |
| 1995 | Nick Holonyak, Jr. | United States
|
for outstanding contributions to research and practical applications of light emitting diodes and lasers through pioneering achievements in the understanding of physical principles and in the process technology of intermetallic compound semiconductors. |
| Edward F. Knipling | United States
|
for pioneering contributions in the development of Integrated Pest Management by the Sterile Insect Release Method and other biological approaches. | |
| 1994 | William Hayward Pickering | New Zealand
|
for inspirational leadership in unmanned lunar and planetary exploration, and for pioneering achievements in the development of spacecraft and deep space communications. |
| Arvid Carlsson |  Sweden
|
for the discovery of dopamine as a neurotransmitter and clarification of its role in mental and motor functions and their disorders. | |
| 1993 | Frank Press | United States
|
for the development of modern seismology and advancement of international cooperation in disaster science. |
| Kary B. Mullis | United States
|
for the development of the polymerase chain reaction. | |
| 1992 | Gerhard Ertl | Germany
|
for the contributions to the new development of the chemistry and physics of solid surfaces. |
| Ernest John Christopher Polge | United Kingdom
|
for the discovery of a method of the cryopreservation of semen and embryos in farm animals. | |
| 1991 | Jacques-Louis Lions | France
|
for the contributions to analysis and control of distributed systems, and to promotion of applied analysis. |
| John Julian Wild | United States
|
for the development of ultrasound imaging in medicine. | |
| 1990 | Marvin Minsky | United States
|
for the establishment of an academic field named Artificial Intelligence and the proposal of fundamental theories in that field. |
| William Jason Morgan Dan McKenzie Xavier Le Pichon |
United States United Kingdom France
|
for the initiation of the theory of plate tectonics and contributions to its development. | |
| 1989 | Frank Sherwood Rowland | United States
|
for the studies on the mechanisms of stratospheric ozone depletion by chlorofluorocarbons. |
| Elias James Corey | United States
|
for the pioneering contributions to the syntheses of prostaglandins and their related compounds which are of great therapeutic value. | |
| 1988 | Georges Vendryes | France
|
for the establishment of fast breeder reactor technology. |
| Donald Henderson Isao Arita Frank Fenner |
United States Japan  Australia
|
for the eradication of Smallpox. | |
| Luc Montagnier Robert C. Gallo |
France United States
|
for the discovery of the AIDS causing virus and development of diagnostic methods. | |
| 1987 | Henry M. Beachell Gurdev S. Khush |
United States  India
|
for the development of the IR8 and IR36 strains for rice breeding strategies geared to the tropical and subtropical zones. |
| Theodore H. Maiman | United States
|
for the realization of the world's first laser. | |
| 1986 | David Turnbull | United States
|
for pioneering contributions to materials science with impact on new materials technology such as amorphous solids. |
| Willem J. Kolff | United States
|
for research and development of artificial organs and their relevant technology. | |
| 1985 | John R. Pierce | United States
|
for outstanding achievement in the field of electronics and communications technologies. |
| Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir |  Israel
|
for outstanding achievement in basic theory in the field of immobilized enzymes and their practical applications. |