The Japan Academy (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 日本学士院, ''Nihon Gakushiin'') is an honorary organisation and

science academy An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national academy, national or royal (in ...

founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is currently an extraordinary organ of the

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...

with its headquarters located in

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Election to the Academy is considered the highest distinction a scholar can achieve, and members enjoy life tenure and an annual monetary stipend.

History

In 1973, Meiroku-sha (Meairoku Society) was founded. The main people of Meiroku-sha involved in Meiroku-sha were from Kaiseijo (later transformed into University of Tokyo and so on) and Keio Gijuku (Keio University). In an effort to replicate the institutional landscape found in many Western nations, the leaders of the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...

sought to create a national academy of scholars and scientists modelled to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. In 1879,

Nishi Amane was a philosopher in Meiji period Japan who helped introduce Western philosophy into mainstream Japanese education. Early life Nishi was born in Tsuwano Domain of Iwami Province (present day Tsuwano town, Shimane Prefecture) as the son of a ...

was made the head of what was then called the Tokyo Academy. In 1906 it was renamed the Imperial Academy, and in 1947 it was renamed the Japan Academy.

Prizes awarded

The Imperial Prize and Japan Academy Prize are awarded to persons who have achieved notable research landmarks or who have authored outstanding academic papers or books. One of the Academy's most important functions involves conferring these prizes, which have been awarded annually since 1911. Since 1949, these prize award ceremonies have been graced by the presence of HIM the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

; and since 1990, both the Emperor and Empress have attended.Japan Academy
Activities
/ref> Japan Academy Prize
From 1911 until 1947, the academy annually conferred the

Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy The is a prestigious honor conferred to two of the recipients of the Japan Academy Prize. Overviews It is awarded in two categories: humanities and natural sciences. The Emperor and Empress visit the awarding ceremony and present a vase to ...

(''Gakushiin Onshi Shō''). Amongst past winners are

Hideyo Noguchi , also known as , was a prominent Japanese bacteriologist who in 1911 discovered the agent of syphilis as the cause of progressive paralytic disease. Early life Noguchi Hideyo whose childhood name was Seisaku Noguchi was born to a family of farm ...

(1915) and

Tasuku Honjo is a Japanese physician-scientist and immunologist. He won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and is best known for his identification of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). He is also known for his molecular identification o ...

(1996). After 1947, the name of the award was changed to Japan Academy Prize (''Gakushiin Shō''). Duke of Edinburgh Prize
In 1987, HRH

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

suggested that the Academy take responsibility for conferring the biennial

Duke of Edinburgh Prize Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

to a Japanese scientist with outstanding achievements in the area of wildlife protection and species preservation. In addition to this specific award, some 75 prizes and medals are associated with The Duke of Edinburgh.Dukes of the UK
Prizes
Japan Academy Medal
Since 2004, the Academy has annually conferred the

Japan Academy Medal The Japan Academy (Japanese: 日本学士院, ''Nihon Gakushiin'') is an honorary organisation and science academy founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is ...

Timeline

The early-Meiji era Tokyo Academy was institutionally re-organized into an Imperial Academy in 1906; and this institution was renamed the Japan Academy in 1947:Japan Academy
History
/ref> * 1879 The Tokyo Academy established; ''Tokyo Academy Magazine'' (Vol. 1, No. 1). * 1890 Tokyo Academy Statute promulgated. * 1895 Honorary Membership established. * 1906 Statute of the Imperial Academy promulgated; joined ''

Internationale Assoziation der Akademien "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of t ...

'' (IAA). * 1911 Imperial Prize and Imperial Academy Prize established; first award ceremony. * 1912 ''Proceedings of the Imperial Academy'' (Vol. 1, No. 1). * 1919 Imperial Academy joined

Union Académique Internationale The Union Académique Internationale (UAI)—in English, International Union of Academies—is a federation of many national academies and international academies from more than 60 countries all over the world which works in the field of Humaniti ...

(UAI). * 1925 Statute of the Imperial Academy amended (increased membership). * 1942 ''Transactions of the Imperial Academy'' (Vol. 1, No. 1). * 1947 Imperial Academy renamed Japan Academy. * 1949 Japan Academy institutionally linked to

Science Council of Japan The Science Council of Japan (SCJ) is a representative organization of Japanese scholars and scientists in all fields of sciences, including humanities, social sciences, life sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. , president of Toyohashi ...

. * 1956 Law of the Japan Academy promulgated; Japan Academy de-linked from Science Council of Japan. * 1971 Exchange program with foreign academies started. * 1983 Visiting program of Honorary Members started. * 1984 First public lecture meeting was held. * 1987 Duke of Edinburgh Prize was adopted. * 2004 Japan Academy Medal established.

President

President of the Tokyo Academy

President of the Imperial Academy

President of the Japan Academy

Counterparts in other countries

Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

* Hungarian Academy of Sciences *

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

* Bulgarian Academy of Sciences *

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...

Institute of France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea, is the senior national organization of distinguished Korean scientists and scholars. It was founded to promote learning and research in all areas of sciences by conferring membership and pr ...

Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities The Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities (German: Union der deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften) is an umbrella organisation for eight German academies of sciences and humanities. The member academies are: *Berlin-Brandenburg Ac ...

Notes

References

* Kita, Atsushi. (2005)
''Dr. Noguchi's Journey: A Life of Medical Search and Discovery''
(tr., Peter Durfee). Tokyo:

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

. (cloth)

External links

* {{Authority control

Extraordinary organs (Japan) Government agencies established in 1879 Ueno Park