THE 2007 KOYOTO PRIZE/ THE INAMORI FOUNDATION

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THE 2007 KOYOTO PRIZE/ THE INAMORI FOUNDATION

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November 10, 2007

To whom it may concern,


The 2007 Kyoto Prize

The Award Ceremony of the 2007 Kyoto Prize that is given to those who have made significant contributions to the progress of science, the development of civilization, and the enrichment and elevation of the human spirit, was held on 10th November at Kyoto International Conference Center. This year is the 23rd since the establishment of the Kyoto Prize.

The laureates this year are as follows;

For the category of Advanced Technology, Dr. Hiroo Inokuchi (age 80, Japan) was selected from the field of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Inokuchi initiated pioneering research on electrical conduction between molecules with benzene rings and established the scientific foundation for studying the electrical conductivity of organic materials. Further, he systematically elucidated an electronic structure of a wide variety of organic materials by photoelectron spectroscopy. Through a series of such studies, he established the academic base essential for studying the electronic properties, making fundamental contributions to the subsequent development of organic molecular electronics.

For the category of Basic Sciences, Dr. Hiroo Kanamori (age 71, Japan) was selected from the field of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics. Dr. Kanamori has made an epoch-making progress on the study of great earthquakes through the establishment of analytical method to understand quantitatively all over the rupture process of a great earthquake making full use of seismogram. This study has ushered in a new era in seismology and had a significant impact on the development of geophysics. He has made practical proposals on how to mitigate earthquake hazards based on the knowledge gained through basic studies and contributed to building up and conducting earthquake hazard mitigation systems.

For the category of Arts and Philosophy, Ms. Pina Bausch (age 67, Germany) was selected from the field of Theater, Cinema. Applying an original choreographical approach that delves into the fundamental motives of human action, Ms. Pina Bausch has established a creative idiom that taps deeply into the sensitivity of both performers and their audiences. At the same time, she has broken down the boundaries between dance and theater, and opened up a new direction in theatrical art.

The Kyoto Prize, which is an international prize, is annually presented by the Inamori Foundation (Dr. Kazuo Inamori, President), and consists of the following three categories; Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. The distinctive feature of the Kyoto Prize is to appraise a person as a whole, to evaluate not only the accomplishments and their influence but also the recipients’ spirit and character, which made them possible.

Diplomas, Kyoto Prize medals and 50 million yen as prize money were given to each laureate by Hiroo Imura, Chairman of the Inamori Foundation in the presence of Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado and other audience (about 1,300) from the political, the official, the financial and the academic worlds. Following this, congratulatory messages from Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan, and Horst Kohler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany were introduced. Also, as a performance, Elementary School Children’s Choir presented chorus in praise of glory of laureates.

After the ceremony, a banquet for the laureates was held. Commemorative Lectures and Workshops of each category are scheduled on 11th and on 12th of November respectively.
With the cooperation of Keio University Research Institute for Digital Media and Content, the Presentation Ceremony was successfully recorded as the 4k digital cinema standard and was digitally transmitted to Keio University, thereby allowing interested people in Tokyo to also watch the ceremony. A recording of the commemorative lectures given on 11th is going to be transmitted to Tokyo as well.

This time the Institute of Keio University carried out the world’s first successful trans-Pacific to Atlantic real-time transmission test of 4k images in collaboration with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and others. Plans call for the recorded images to be shown in Sweden and Germany later.

Moreover, efforts by Kyoto University made it possible for live images of the presentation ceremony and the commemorative lectures to be broadcast over the Internet.

URL: http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/e_channel.html

Attendance of former Laureates of the Kyoto Prize Dr. Jane Goodall (1990) Mr. Tadao Ando (2002) Mr. Issey Miyake (2006)

Best regards,


Masami Tokudome
Communications Department
Inamori Foundation
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