The Japan Academy
Encyclopedia
is an honorary organization founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is currently organization attached
to the Ministry of Education
; and the organization's headquarters located in Ueno Park
, Tokyo
, Japan
. Election to the Academy is considered the highest distinction a scholar can achieve, and members enjoy life tenure and an annual monetary stipend.
In an effort to replicate the institutional landscape found in many Western nations, the leaders of the Meiji government sought to create a national academy of scholars and scientists modelled to the British
Royal Academy
. In 1879, Nishi Amane
was made the head of what was then called the Tokyo Academy.
; and since 1990, both the Emperor and Empress have attended.
Imperial Prize
Since 1911, the academy has annually conferred the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy
(Gakushiin Onshi Shō). Amongst past winners are Hideyo Noguchi
(1915) and Tasuku Honjo (1996).
Japan Academy Prize
Since 1911, the Academy has annually conferred the Imperial Academy Prize. 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
suggested that the Academy take assume the responsibility for conferring the biennial Duke of Edinburgh Prize 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.
Japan Academy Medal
Since 2004, the Academy has annually conferred the Japan Academy Medal.
Attached organization
In Japan, an is an organization in the Japanese government that is attached to the Cabinet Office, ministries or their Government agency and is established for some special purposes. It is distinguished from an affiliated institution. The classification was created when the amendments to the...
to the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
; and the organization's headquarters located in Ueno Park
Ueno Park
is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Election to the Academy is considered the highest distinction a scholar can achieve, and members enjoy life tenure and an annual monetary stipend.
History
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. In 1879, Nishi Amane
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 as the son of a samurai physician who practiced Chinese medicine...
was made the head of what was then called the Tokyo 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 JapanEmperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
; and since 1990, both the Emperor and Empress have attended.
Imperial Prize
Since 1911, the academy has annually conferred the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy
Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy
The was a prestigious honor conferred by the Imperial Academy from 1911 through 1945. The award was presented to non-members in recognition of their academic theses, books, and achievements....
(Gakushiin Onshi Shō). Amongst past winners are Hideyo Noguchi
Hideyo Noguchi
, also known as , was a prominent Japanese bacteriologist who discovered the agent of syphilis as the cause of progressive paralytic disease in 1911.-Early life:...
(1915) and Tasuku Honjo (1996).
Japan Academy Prize
Since 1911, the Academy has annually conferred the Imperial Academy Prize. 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
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
suggested that the Academy take assume the responsibility for conferring the biennial Duke of Edinburgh Prize 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.
Japan Academy Medal
Since 2004, the Academy has annually conferred the Japan Academy Medal.
Timeline
The early-Meiji era Tokyo Academy was institutionally re-organized into an Imperial Academy in 1906; and this institution was re-named the Japan Academy in 1947:- 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 (IAA).
- 1911 Imperial PrizeImperial Prize of the Japan AcademyThe was a prestigious honor conferred by the Imperial Academy from 1911 through 1945. The award was presented to non-members in recognition of their academic theses, books, and achievements....
and Imperial Academy Prize established; first award ceremony. - 1912 Proceedings of the Imperial Academy (Vol. 1, No. 1).
- 1919 Imperial Academy joined Union Académique InternationaleUnion Académique InternationaleThe Union Académique Internationale is the oldest and largest federation of Academies having a national character and created for international cooperation...
(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.
- 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 of the Tokyo Academy
- Fukuzawa YukichiFukuzawa Yukichiwas a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur and political theorist who founded Keio University. His ideas about government and social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan during the Meiji Era...
(1879 - 1879) - Nishi AmaneNishi Amanewas 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 as the son of a samurai physician who practiced Chinese medicine...
(1879 - 1880) - Katō HiroyukiKato HiroyukiBaron was an academic and politician of the Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Katō was born to a samurai family in Izushi domain, Tajima Province , and studied military science under Sakuma Shōzan and rangaku under Oki Nakamasu in Edo...
(1980 - 1882) - Nishi AmaneNishi Amanewas 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 as the son of a samurai physician who practiced Chinese medicine...
(1882 - 1886) - Katō HiroyukiKato HiroyukiBaron was an academic and politician of the Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Katō was born to a samurai family in Izushi domain, Tajima Province , and studied military science under Sakuma Shōzan and rangaku under Oki Nakamasu in Edo...
(1886 - 1895) - Hosokawa Jyunzirō (1895 - 1897)
- Katō HiroyukiKato HiroyukiBaron was an academic and politician of the Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Katō was born to a samurai family in Izushi domain, Tajima Province , and studied military science under Sakuma Shōzan and rangaku under Oki Nakamasu in Edo...
(1897 - 1906)
President of the Imperial Academy
- Katō HiroyukiKato HiroyukiBaron was an academic and politician of the Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Katō was born to a samurai family in Izushi domain, Tajima Province , and studied military science under Sakuma Shōzan and rangaku under Oki Nakamasu in Edo...
(1906 - 1909) - Kikuchi DairokuKikuchi DairokuBaron was a mathematician, educator, and educational administrator in Meiji period Japan.-Kikuchi's life and career:Kikuchi was born in Edo , as the second son of Mitsukuri Shuhei...
(1909 - 1917) - Hozumi NobushigeHozumi NobushigeBaron was a Japanese statesman and legal expert in Meiji period.Hozumi was born in Uwajima Domain, Iyo Province as the second son to a family of kokugaku scholars. He graduated from the Kaisei Gakko, , and studied overseas from 1876-1881...
(1917- 1925) - Okano Keizirō (1925 - 1925)
- Sakurai Jyōzi (1925 - 1939)
- Hantaro Nagaoka (1939 - 1948)
President of the Japan Academy
- Yamada Saburō (1948 - 1961)
- Shibata Yuzi (1961 - 1970)
- Nanbara Shigeru (1970 - 1974)
- Kiyoo WadatiKiyoo WadatiProfessor was an early seismologist at the Central Meteorological Observatory of Japan, researching deep earthquakes. His name is attached to the Wadati-Benioff zone...
(1974 - 1980) - Arisawa Hiromi (1980 - 1986)
- Kurokawa Toshio (1986 - 1988)
- Wakimura Yoshitarō (1988 - 1994)
- Fuzita Yoshio (1994 - 2000)
- Ichiko Teizi (2000 - 2001)
- Nagakura Saburō (2001 - 2007)
- Kubo Masaaki (2007 - )
Counterparts in other countries
- Royal Society of London (since 1971)
- British AcademyBritish AcademyThe British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
(since 1972) - Romanian AcademyRomanian AcademyThe Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
(since 1976) - Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
(since 1976) - Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesRoyal Swedish Academy of SciencesThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
(since 1980) - Bulgarian Academy of SciencesBulgarian Academy of SciencesThe Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
(since 1980) - Academy of SciencesAcademy of SciencesAn Academy of Sciences is a national academy or another learned society dedicated to sciences.In non-English speaking countries, the range of academic fields of the members of a national Academy of Science often includes fields which would not normally be classed as "science" in English...
, Institute of France (since 1994) - Royal Society of CanadaRoyal Society of CanadaThe Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
(since 1995) - National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea (since 1998)
- Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities (since 2005)