Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended the second meeting of the "Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize" Committee held at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on the process going forward for selecting the candidates for the second round of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize.

The Prime Minister said in his address, "The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize is intended to commend people who contributed to controlling diseases, including infectious diseases, in Africa, and its establishment was approved by the Cabinet in 2006. The first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Presentation Ceremony was held in May 2008, in which the prizes were awarded to Dr. Brian Greenwood from the United Kingdom and Dr. Miriam K. Were from Kenya. I have heard that both of them have been extremely active in their respective fields even since then.
When Japan experienced a great disaster in March last year, African people extended truly warm support and a number of encouraging messages to us. I have heard that Dr. Were also visited Fukushima, where Hideyo Noguchi was born, and encouraged people affected by the disaster.
Among the Millennium Development Goals, which are common issues of the international community, those in the area of health are particularly lagging in progress. In this light, I believe there is much significance in this award scheme.
We have decided to hold the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in the summer next year in Yokohama. Simultaneously with TICAD V, my plan is to hold the second Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Presentation Ceremony. Therefore, I would like the Committee members to consider who are best candidates for this prize and select the winners by the spring next year."