Japan to host Nobel Prize Dialogue 2015

STOCKHOLM, 9-12-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Nobel Prize Dialogue is a whole-day conference inspired by Nobel Week Dialogue, which has been taking place in Sweden since 2012 on the day before the Nobel Prize Ceremony. Held outside Sweden for the first time, Nobel Prize Dialogue Tokyo 2015, with the topic “The Genetic Revolution and its Future Impact”, will be a high-level celebration of the power of ideas. The free to attend conference is open to anyone interested in participating in a dialogue together with Nobel Laureates, prominent scientists, key policy makers and opinion leaders.

Six Distinguished Nobel Laureates Participating

Among the panellists engaged in the conference are six Nobel Laureates, including Japanese Laureates Hiroshi Amano, 2014 Physics, Koichi Tanaka, 2002 Chemistry, and Shinya Yamanaka, 2012 Physiology or Medicine. Also participating are Nobel Laureates Tim Hunt, Physiology or Medicine 2001, Richard Roberts, Physiology or Medicine 1993, and Kurt Wüthrich, Chemistry 2002. Other panellists include world-leading scientists, policy makers and thought leaders, who will be announced in the new year.

– We are honoured to have Japan as the first country hosting a Nobel Prize Dialogue. This is for many reasons, one being the long tradition of scientific research and technology development in Japan, says Mattias Fyrenius, CEO of Nobel Media. Japan can of course be very proud of all its Nobel Laureates and I take this opportunity to especially congratulate the 2014 Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics, Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura. I am sure that Nobel Prize Dialogue Tokyo 2015 on 1 March will be a day full of inspiration, providing insights into how genetic research impacts and will impact our society more than 60 years after Watson and Crick first described the double helix structure of DNA.

– It is a great honour and pleasure for JSPS to host Nobel Prize Dialogue Tokyo 2015, with the topic of “The Genetic Revolution and its Future Impact”, says Hisashi Kato, Director of International Program Department at JSPS. In Japan, the study of life sciences, including genetics has achieved significant advances. One of the best examples is the discovery of iPS cells, and further cutting-edge breakthroughs in science and technology are rightly expected. I hope that this Nobel Prize Dialogue will be a valuable opportunity for everyone with an interest in science to probe into this topic, which is crucial to entire societies. I look forward to the dialogue being attended by many people.

The Genetic Revolution and its Future Impact

The topic for the conference will be The Genetic Revolution and its Future Impact. In recent years, our knowledge of genetics, genomics and potential applications has steadily expanded. What are the societal implications of these developments, present and future? Key focus areas are personalised medicine, genetically modified organisms and human evolution, among others. There will also be specific panel discussions addressing genetics and genomics in Asian countries. Throughout the day, participants will ask questions, in the venue and online, engaging in a dialogue that will continue even after the conference has closed for the day. The dialogue can be followed via webcast from all corners of the world.

Further information such as application procedure, programme, agenda and other related details will be provided in a dedicated webpage to be set up soon. More information about Nobel Week Dialogue in Stockholm on 9 December is available onwww.nobelweekdialogue.org.

Contact information

Nobel Media AB
TEL: +46 (0) 73 852 35 95
Email: press@nobelmedia.se

JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)
International Program Department
TEL: +81 3-3263-1810
Email: npdtokyo2015@jsps.go.jp

Facts – Nobel Prize Dialogue Tokyo 2015

Date: 1 March, 2015
Venue: Tokyo International Forum (capacity: 1 000 persons)
Theme: Genetic Revolution and its Future Impact
Language: English (Japanese simultaneous interpretation provided)
Entrance fee: Free to attend
Organisers: Nobel Media AB and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Supporting Organisations in Japan: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yomiuri Shimbun and other partners.