The government picked on Tuesday five recipients of the Order of Culture for fiscal 2017, including photoelectrochemist Akira Fujishima, 75, and molecular biologist Kenichi Matsubara, 83.
Fujishima, president of Tokyo University of Science, discovered titanium dioxide photocatalysis 50 years ago, a chemical reaction that degrades organic pollutants in water and is now widely used for coating external wall materials and air purification systems.
Matsubara, professor emeritus at Osaka University, made significant contributions to the development of the hepatitis B vaccine and human genome sequencing.
The other three are oil painter Hiroshi Okutani, 83, gagaku (Japanese court music) performer and composer Sukeyasu Shiba, 82, and Chinese history expert Yoshinobu Shiba, 87.
The government also tapped 15 people as Persons of Cultural Merits. Among them are fashion designer Junko Koshino, 78, kabuki actor Nakamura Kichiemon, 73, ballet dancer Miyako Yoshida, 51, and weightlifter Yoshinobu Miyake, 77.
The Order of Culture, Japan’s highest cultural award, will be presented by Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace on Nov. 3, and the cultural merit award ceremony will be held at a Tokyo hotel on Nov. 6.
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