The 2026 Japan Prize Award Ceremony Is Held With Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in Attendance

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Japan Prize Foundation (President: Ryozo Nagai) held an award ceremony on Tuesday, April 14, at the New National Theatre, Tokyo in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward to confer the Japan Prize on scientists who have made creative and dramatic achievements in the global scientific and technological fields and who have contributed significantly to realizing peace and prosperity for all humanity.

Cynthia Dwork, Ph.D. (USA), the winner in the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication, and Shizuo Akira, Ph.D. (Japan) and Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D. (USA), the winners in the field of Life Science, were in attendance at the award ceremony, and each field was awarded 100 million Yen together with a certificate and a medal.

The winners of the 2026 Japan Prize were recommended by approximately 16,000 prominent scientists and engineers from around the world and decided by a rigorous examination taking about 1 year. The Foundation received 107 nominations for the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication and 185 nominations for the field of Life Science. This year's winners were selected from that total of 292 candidates.

The ceremony was attended by about 600 guests, starting with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, heads of the three branches of government and other related officials, and representatives from various other elements of society. His Majesty the Emperor delivered remarks, followed by speeches by the 3 winners and congratulatory remarks by Sekiguchi, President of the House of Councillors.

This year's award ceremony can be viewed from the links below.
Japanese Version: https://youtube.com/live/jllrOVOX6jI
English Version: https://youtube.com/live/flkjnpPAtok

Profile photos of the Japan Prize winners and photos from the day of the award ceremony will be uploaded to this link.
https://www.japanprize.jp/en/press_photo.html
*When publishing these photos, please include a credit that reads "Courtesy of: Japan Prize."

About the Japan Prize

The establishment of the Japan Prize in 1981 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 the world 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 for the award, with two fields selected each year in consideration of current trends in scientific and technological development. In principle, one individual in each field is recognized with the award, and receives a certificate, a medal, and a monetary prize. Each award ceremony is attended by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, heads of the three branches of government and other related officials, and representatives from various other elements of society.

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

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