Kamioka ObservatoryICRR, The University of Tokyo

On November 2, the Japanese government announced that Professor Masayuki Nakahata, the spokesperson of Super-Kamiokande and former director of Kamioka Observatory at the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, will be awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in the fall of 2024. The Medal with Purple Ribbon is granted to individuals who have contributed to academic and artistic developments, improvements and accomplishments. The award acknowledges Professor Nakahata’s remarkable contributions to the development of neutrino physics and astrophysics, as well as underground scientific research.

Professor Nakahata expressed, “I am deeply honored to receive the Medal with Purple Ribbon. I began my research with Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba around 1980. As an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Tokyo, I dedicated myself to constructing the Kamiokande experiment with the goal of discovering proton decay. Although we did not discover proton decay, we achieved remarkable successes with the observation of supernova neutrinos in 1987 and solar neutrinos in 1988, which redirected our research focus toward neutrinos. Subsequently, at Super-Kamiokande, we discovered neutrino oscillations, and I had the opportunity to be part of many groundbreaking findings. I have been fortunate to work alongside many exceptional mentors, seniors, colleagues, and juniors, including Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba, Dr. Yoji Totsuka, and Dr. Takaaki Kajita, who supported my research. Additionally, I have been able to continue my work thanks to the invaluable support of many people, including the community of Kamioka. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you once again.”