April 28, 2022
Professor Kentaro Arikawa and Professor Mitsuyasu Hasebe are awarded the National Medal with Purple Ribbon
Professor Kentaro Arikawa and Professor Mitsuyasu Hasebe are awarded a national honor, the Medal with Purple Ribbon, by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
The Medal with Purple Ribbon is awarded for inventions and discoveries in science and technology, and for outstanding achievements in the fields of science, sports, art and culture.
Professor Mitsuyasu Hasebe
SOKENDAI, School of Life Science, Department of Basic Biology, Professor / National Institutes of NaturalSciences, National Institute for Basic Biology, Professor
Professor Kentaro Arikawa
Professor Kentaro Arikawa comments
I was a boy who loved insects. My father once captured a swallowtail butterfly, which truly fascinated me, and I later found myself seriously studying how insects see the world. I was lucky that I could study at Jiyu Gakuen, Sophia University, Australian National University, Yokohama City University, and SOKENDAI, all allowed me to contribute to science differently. Upon this honorable moment, I would like to thank my mentors, scientific friends, collaborators, and family members. I would also like to do my best to share my scientific excitement with many people in the coming years.
Achievement
Professor Arikawa discovered light-sensing cells on butterflies' sex organs when he was a graduate student. He then focused on insect color vision and made a number of internationally-recognized achievements. He also contributed to studying other topics, including integrative pest management using light. Overall, he largely contributed to the research and progress of neuroethology and animal physiology.
Career
- 1983-1995: Yokohama City University, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Research Associate
- 1995-2000: Yokohama City University, Faculty of Science, Associate Professor
- 2000-2006: Yokohama City University, Graduate School of Integrated Science, Professor
- 2006-2022: SOKENDAI, School of Advanced Sciences, Professor
- 2022-present: SOKENDAI, Executive Director / SOKENDAI, Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, Professor
Awards
- 2017: Butterfly Award 2017 Jangirnagar University
- 2015: Society's Prize, Studies on the spectral organization of compound eyes and color vision in butterflies, The Japanese Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry
- 2005: The 13th Kihara Prize for Life Sciences
- 2004: The 53rd Yokohama Culture Award
- 2004: The Zoological Society Award
- 2000: The 3rd International L'Oreal prize of color
- 1997: The 6th Yoshida Prize for Young Researchers Japan Society for General and Comparative Physiology