PRESS CONFERENCE
Japan's Newest Nobel Prize Winners Warn of a Decline in Science

Susumu Kitagawa, 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Shimon Sakaguchi, 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine

10:30-11:30 Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan invites members of the press and the Club to a news conference by two of Japan's newest Nobel Prize winners, who will describe their own transformative research while also sounding a warning about their nation's declining position in global science.

One will be Susumu Kitagawa, an executive vice president and distinguished professor at Kyoto University, who was a co-winner of the Nobel in chemistry for his work on molecules that can be used to capture carbon dioxide and store toxic gases. The other will be Shimon Sakaguchi, a distinguished professor at the Immunology Frontier Research Center at the University of Osaka, who earned a Nobel in medicine for discovering cells that can inhibit diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and type-1 diabetes.

While their accomplishments are impressive, they come to us at a time when science is under pressure in many countries. They will talk about Japan, where scientific output has been in decline. Once ranked fourth globally in the number of highly cited research papers produced annually, Japan no longer places even in the top ten. The two leading scientists will give their views on this and what it would take to turn their nation around.

Please join us to hear about the future of science from Japan’s newest Nobel laureates.

How to attend: 
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live  

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/pC2a4MbWGsFswFGw6

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.

Professional Activities Committee