Atsuhiro Nishida
– Citation
As a Member of the Science Council of Japan, he has enthusiastically supported the establishment of the Japan Geoscience Union, as well as initiating the Nishida Prize for the emerging scientists encompassing the whole earth and planetary science, thus greatly contributing to the progerss of the Japan Geoscience Union.
– Comment
In the past, when I became a member of the Science Council of Japan and began to attend the meetings of Section 4 (Science), there was something that bothered me. While the physics and chemistry members spoke from a broader perspective with the background of the entire physics and chemistry fields, the Earth science members seemed to represent individual disciplines (earthquakes, typhoons, magnetic storms, etc.). This probably reflects the fact that Earth science was originally developed to predict the occurrence of these disturbances and prevent disasters. However, with the advent of plate tectonics and man-made spacecraft explorations, I thought it was necessary to take a comprehensive view of Earth and planetary science, and I supported those who thought the same way. I think it was an epoch-making step when the “Japan Geoscience Union” was established as a permanent organization with the organizational reform of the Science Council of Japan in 2005. As for the Nishida Prize, it is my contribution to give back to the academia after being honored as a Person of Cultural Merit.