Asia PR News

TOKYO, Nov. 30/Kyodo-JBN-AsiaNet/–

The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan announced today the two
categories for the 2009 (25th) Japan Prize, and defined their concept as
follows:

Field I: Environment/Infrastructure
"The transformation towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature"

The limits of the global environment have brought us to a point in time when
a reassessment is needed of modern technological society rooted in a social
foundation of large-scale consumption of energy and resources. As we turn
towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature that satisfies basic human
needs, confers safety and security, fosters humanitarian qualities and
conserves energy while emitting low levels of carbon dioxide, we will need to
be able to synthesize knowledge from various fields, including scientific
knowledge about the natural world and human activity and highly-evolved
information science, together with insights about human societies, in order to
achieve social change and re-create a new foundation for society. People are
needed who can make a significant contribution to any of the requisite tasks,
such as awakening people to the need for change, expressing a vision of the new
technological society, creating a social foundation, developing key
technologies needed to transform society, or promoting mutual awareness and
integration of information and public opinion.

Field II: Health Care/Therapeutic Technology
"Technological integration of medical science and engineering"

Recent remarkable advances in clinical medicine have been achieved by
integration of medicine, engineering, and related fields, enabling progress in
the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Progress has been made in
various areas, including imaging techniques, drug discovery, drug delivery
systems, telemedicine, regenerative medicine, and simplified diagnostic
techniques.

The prize for 2009 will be awarded for innovative contributions to health and
health care through the development and application of technological
integration of medical science and engineering.

<Reference Only>

[The Japan Prize]

The Japan Prize is an international prize awarded to scientists and
technologists who have made original and outstanding achievements in their
fields and have contributed to the peace and prosperity of mankind. Each year,
we designate two subject fields for the prize.
Each laureate receives a certificate of merit and a commemorative medal. A
monetary award of fifty million Japanese yen (Japanese Yen 50,000,000) is
awarded in each prize category.

[The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan]

The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan was established in May 1983,
and a Government issued a cabinet endorsement in October of the same year.
Presenting the Japan Prize is the Foundation’s main activities. The Foundation
is a non-profit organization under the supervision of the Cabinet Office, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology.

[Members of the 2009(25th) Japan Prize Fields Selection Committee]
<Field I> "Environment/Infrastructure"
Chairman:
Shuzo Nishioka Advisor,
National Institute for Environmental Studies
Members:
Tsuneo Katayama Professor, School of Science and Technology for future
life, Tokyo Denki University
Ryuji Matsuhashi Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,
The University of Tokyo
Shigeru Morichi Professor,
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Kotaro Nawa Research Fellow,
Institute of Information Security

<Field II> "Health Care/Therapeutic Technology"
Chairman:
Makoto Asashima Managing Director, Executive Vice President,
The University of Tokyo
Members:
Mitiko Go President, Ochanomizu University
Setsuo Hirohashi President, The National Cancer Center
Masaki Kitajima Vice President and Professor, International
University of Health and Welfare
Director, International University of Health and
Welfare, Mita Hospital
Shigetada Nakanishi Director, Osaka Bioscience Institute

(Title at the committee time)

Source: The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan (JSTF)

Contact:
Masaaki Ueda, Executive Officer
The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan (JSTF)
Phone: +81-3-5545-0551
Fax: +81-3-5545-0554
E-mail: info@japanprize.jp
URL: http://www.japanprize.jp/English.htm