Tohoku University’s Expert Receives Award at the 2023 Japan Prize Ceremony

The award ceremony for the 2023 Japan Prize was held in Tokyo on April 13, with the Emperor and Empress of Japan and government ministers among the 140 people in attendance.


Masataka Nakazawa, a specially-appointed research fellow at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) and professor emeritus at the Research Institute of Electrical Communication (RIEC), received his award in the field of Electronics, Information and Communication, along with co-winner Kazuo Hagimoto, the chief researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).

The award recognises their contributions to global long-distance, high-capacity optical fiber networks through the development of semiconductor laser pumped optical amplifiers.

Professor Gero Miesenbeck of Oxford University and Professor Carl Deisseroth of Stanford University were selected for their development of a method that uses light to reveal the function of specific nerve cells.

The four laureates were presented with commemorative plaques.


In his remarks, the Emperor said, “Just as people around the world have worked together in recent years to combat the new coronavirus infections, I hope that by bringing together the wisdom of various fields and joining forces with one another, we can build a future filled with hope.”

Their Majesties also met with the award recipients after the ceremony.

The Japan Prize was established in 1983 to recognize scientists and engineers from around the world, who have made creative and significant progress their fields, and contributed to realizing global peace and prosperity.

Researchers in all fields of science and technology are eligible for the award, with two fields selected each year based on current trends. Winners receive a certificate, a medal and a monetary award.