[Provisional Translation]

Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, Honorary Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

I was truly pleased to learn that the Nobel Prize was awarded to a Japanese person, and would like to express my heartfelt respect for the achievements of Professor Ohsumi.

This award reflects the high acclaim given worldwide for the achievements related to Professor Ohsumi’s discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy.

I take great pride as a citizen of Japan in the fact that this discovery of truth, achieved through the creative ideas of a Japanese researcher, has greatly contributed to the continued development of humankind and the international community, and has been recognized by the world.

The Government of Japan aims for continued innovation in all fields. We will continue to firmly support creative and diverse research and strongly promote the training and fostering of researchers.

Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister of Japan
October 3, 2016