[Provisional Translation]

Professor Takaaki Kajita, Director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research at the University of Tokyo, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.

I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Professor Kajita for being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

This award was conferred in recognition of the achievements of Professor Kajita related to the discovery of neutrino oscillations.

I wish to express my profound respect for the achievements of Professor Kajita. I also take great pride in the fact that a Japanese researcher has been so resolutely involved in elucidating the basic principles that form this universe and has made such a tremendous contribution to science, which is a shared intellectual asset of the human race.

Following on the award of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine yesterday, to have the world once again commend Japan for the excellence of our research capabilities in a variety of fields is greatly encouraging to the people of Japan. We will continue to advance support for a wide range of basic research and work to develop creative and diverse human resources that will make great strides for the world.

Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister of Japan
October 6, 2015