2026 Young Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Researchers Awards
Overview
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has selected six recipients of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Chairperson’s Award for the 2026 (22nd) Young Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Researchers Awards. Their work covers flood inundation estimates following reservoir breaches, adding value to forest resources, broccoli cultivation, vaccines for bovine mastitis, root nodule symbiosis, and bivalve aquaculture. The award ceremony will be held on November 12, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight. The ceremony is open to the public, and camera photography is permitted. Those wishing to cover the event should contact the organizers by 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2026.
Key points
- There are 6 award recipients.
- The award ceremony will run from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on November 12, 2026.
- The deadline for media inquiries is 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2026.
Overview
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries presents the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Chairperson’s Award to researchers who have achieved outstanding accomplishments or research results that may lead to future technological innovation. The award aims to advance research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries, and to encourage researchers under 40 who engage in research and development.
The awards have been held annually since fiscal year 2005, and this is the 22nd edition.
Impact
The award ceremony is open to the public, and camera photography is permitted during the event. If the seats reserved for the press are full, attendees may be seated in the general audience area or asked to stand.
Details
The recipients, listed in Japanese syllabary order, and their achievements are: Hajime Kojima (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization), for a method to estimate inundation following a reservoir breach based on actual disaster data; Masatsugu Takada (Ehime University), for adding value to forest resources by controlling lignin structure and using its luminescent properties; and Megumu Takahashi (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization), for a novel cultivation technology that enables higher broccoli yields.
Yuya Nagasawa (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) received the award for labor-saving, effective vaccine technology for bovine mastitis; Hanna Nishida (the same organization), for technology to enhance root nodule symbiosis for sustainable crop production; and Yuki Funakoshi (Kyoto Prefectural Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology Center), for preventing damage and improving growth by clarifying changes in the environment for bivalve aquaculture.
The award ceremony will be held in West Hall 4 at Tokyo Big Sight (3-11-1 Ariake, Koto City, Tokyo), at the venue for the 2026 Agribusiness Creation Fair.
Those wishing to cover the event should contact the Research Coordination Division of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat by phone or email by 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2026, and provide their name, affiliation, and telephone number.