Awards and Honors

This page introduces the overview, objectives, and fields of the awards featured in the awardee interviews.
Through the principles and evaluation perspectives behind each award, visitors can explore the diverse value and social significance of research activities.

Nakaakira Tsukahara Memorial Award

Professor Nakaakira Tsukahara of Osaka University devoted his life to uncovering the mechanisms of memory and learning in the brain, producing research achievements that earned international recognition.
Established in his honor, the Nakaakira Tsukahara Memorial Award commemorates his legacy following his untimely death in the 1985 Japan Airlines crash.

About Dr. Nakaakira Tsukahara

Dr. Nakaakira Tsukahara was born in Kyoto in 1933. He studied brain science at the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, under the guidance of Professor Toshihiko Tokizane, Professor Koji Uchizono, and Associate Professor Masao Ito* (then in that position). At the age of 36, he was appointed professor at Osaka University and went on to earn a Doctor of Medical Science degree.

His research focused on the mechanisms of memory and learning in the brain. He made major contributions to the study of neural plasticity and sprouting, and became internationally known as “Mr. Plasticity Tsukahara.” At the age of 50, he began building a new research framework to clarify the molecular processes underlying sprouting. However, on the night of August 12, 1985, he lost his life in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 on Mt. Osutaka. He was 51 years old.

*Masao Ito: later became the founding director of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (RIKEN BSI).

Kobe Prize

The Kobe Prize is an academic award established in 2024 by the Nakatani Foundation to commemorate its 40th anniversary. It recognizes researchers who have achieved outstanding results through original research that brings innovation to the field of BME — Bio Medical Engineering — an interdisciplinary frontier where life sciences and science/engineering converge, a discipline in which Japan is expected to play a leading role in the future. The Prize also highlights young researchers whose unique research shows great future potential.

Kobe Prize website: https://www.kobe-prize.jp/

Grand Prize

  • Eligibility: Japanese researchers or research groups, including Japanese researchers active overseas, who have achieved innovative research outcomes based on original ideas in the eligible research field and who are currently actively engaged in research.
  • Prize money: JPY 50 million

Young Investigator (Y.I.) Award

  • Eligibility:
    1. Young researchers conducting original research in the eligible research field whose future potential is highly promising.
    2. Applicants must be under 45 years of age at the end of each application year. Periods away from research due to life events will be taken into consideration.
  • Prize money: JPY 5 million (with a supplementary research grant totaling JPY 40 million over a five-year period.)

The Nakatani Foundation

The Nakatani Foundation is a public interest incorporated foundation established in 1984 to contribute to the advancement of electronic measurement technology. Today, with a focus on BME — an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of life science and engineering — the Foundation provides broad support through research grants and awards, support for young researchers and students, and the promotion of science education. Through these activities, it aims to nurture the power to create the future.

The Nakatani Foundation website: https://www.nakatani-foundation.jp/

Tokizane Toshihiko Prize

Dr. Toshihiko Tokizane served as the first professor of the Brain Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, where he trained many brain physiologists and devoted himself to fostering and advancing brain research in Japan during its early stages.
In 1989, carrying on his wishes and hoping for the further development of brain research in Japan, his wife, Nobu Tokizane, established the Tokizane Toshihiko Prize, a charitable trust.

About Dr. Toshihiko Tokizane

Dr. Toshihiko Tokizane was born in Okayama Prefecture in 1909. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Imperial University, he served as an army medical officer.

He later held positions as Professor at the University of Tokyo, Director of the Brain Research Institute at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine, and Professor at Kyoto University.

Dr. Tokizane contributed to the establishment of brain research centers at universities across Japan, including the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. He was also involved in planning and launching designated brain research projects supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. In addition, through numerous introductory books for general readers, he made significant contributions to the public understanding of brain research.
Known as a pioneer of cerebral physiology research in Japan, Dr. Tokizane left an enduring legacy through his major contributions to the growth and development of brain research in its early years.