DATE2026.05.12 #Awards & Prizes

Emeritus Professor Shigeyuki Yokoyama received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon

Emeritus Professor Shigeyuki Yokoyama

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Emeritus Professor Shigeyuki Yokoyama on receiving the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

I entered the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Science, the University of Tokyo, and began my research in the Miyazawa Laboratory, later continuing in the Yokoyama Laboratory during graduate school. At that time, Emeritus Professor Yokoyama had succeeded my mentor, Professor Miyazawa, and was conducting structural biology research using NMR, focusing on tRNA and Ras proteins. Shortly after I joined the laboratory, a senior member, Mr. Muramatsu, discovered a novel post-transcriptional chemical modification in the anticodon of tRNA. When this modification was reversed through molecular manipulation, both amino acid specificity and translational specificity changed simultaneously. This led to the world’s first proposal of the concept of “tRNA identity,” culminating in a debut publication in Nature. I still vividly remember the scene of Emeritus Professor Yokoyama embracing Mr. Muramatsu in celebration.

Emeritus Professor Yokoyama has always approached science with sincerity and integrity. While he entrusted research progress to his staff and students, he was deeply involved in manuscript preparation, sitting side by side with students at the computer and carefully explaining every single revision. Although this meticulous process often took time, he has published nearly 1,000 papers to date. He is also a visionary who consistently looked 20 years ahead. Immediately after the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2000, he launched the “Protein 3000 Project” in 2002, aiming to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins using NMR and X-ray crystallography by dividing the predicted 10,000 protein folds among Europe, the United States, and Japan. He secured 58 billion yen in funding, established the RIKEN Yokohama Institute equipped with an NMR Park, and developed a nationwide infrastructure for structural biology, including facilities such as SPring-8. However, the scale of the funding drew criticism and envy from other researchers, and since many of the 3,000 proteins shared common folds, the project was criticized as a failure by Nature and in newspapers. Nevertheless, it is widely believed that without the vast structural data generated by this structural genomics effort, AlphaFold—developed by Dr. Demis Hassabis, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024—would not have been possible. In fact, it is said that Emeritus Professor Yokoyama received numerous congratulatory messages from international researchers at the time of the Nobel Prize announcement. Another key objective of the Protein 3000 Project was to enhance infrastructure across Japan and significantly advance structural biology nationwide. This initiative has continued through projects supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, greatly strengthening Japan’s international presence in the field of structural biology.

Emeritus Professor Yokoyama is a deeply humane and honest individual who showed me great personal kindness and even imparted lessons in leadership. After he left the University of Tokyo in 2010 to move to RIKEN, I happened, by coincidence, to succeed him in leading the laboratory at the University of Tokyo. He has faithfully developed Professor Miyazawa’s scientific legacy and has continued research on introducing non-natural amino acids into proteins to create new functions. Currently, he is also advancing efforts toward societal implementation through several venture companies. With this award, I feel truly pleased that even in the face of unfavorable rumors, those who matter recognize genuine contributions.

Congratulations, Emeritus Professor Yokoyama, on your remarkable achievements in enhancing Japan’s international presence.

Spring Conferment of Decorations, Reiwa 8 (2026)

(Written by: Professor Osamu Nureki, Graduate School of Science, Faculty of Science)