The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan has announced that Japanese and US scientists have been named as laureates of the 2011 (27th) Japan Prize. Dr. Dennis M. Ritchie, 69, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff Emeritus, Bell Labs, and Dr. Ken Thompson, 67, Distinguished Engineer, Google Inc., have received the prize in this year's category of "Information and Communications" for developing the operating system (OS), UNIX, in 1969. Dr. Tadamitsu Kishimoto, 71, Professor Emeritus, Osaka University and Dr. Toshio Hirano, 63, Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, were selected in the other prize category of "Bioscience and medical science" for their discovery of interleukin 6 (IL-6), a cell-signaling molecule in the immune system and its application in treating diseases. They will each receive a certificate of recognition and a commemorative gold medal at an award ceremony during Japan Prize Week in Tokyo on April 20, 2011. A cash award of 50 million Japanese yen (approximately US$600,000) will also be given to each field - this year the two laureates in each field will split the prize equally. The prize categories for the 2012 (28th) Japan Prize will be "Environment, Energy, Infrastructure" and "Healthcare, Medical Technology". For further information, visit the web page, http://www.japanprize.jp/en/index.html
