▲ Prof. Kazuo Komagata and Dr. Mitsuo Sakamoto, research scientist of JCM (right) at the 11th International Conference on Culture Collections (ISCC 11) in Germany, October 2007.


▲ The building for JCM was established in Wako in 1980, which had been the home of JCM until it moved to Tsukuba in 2012.

On March 12^th 2014, the Japan Academy decided to award the Duke Edinburgh Prize to Prof. Kazuo Komagata, ex-Director of Division of Laboratory Organisms and Japan Collection of Microorganisms (JCM), who is currently a professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo. Division of Laboratory Organisms is the previous body of the Microbe Division (JCM).

The Award is for his achievement of "Contribution to Microbial Taxonomic Research and Culture Collection." He was the first Director of JCM launched in 1981 and strove for the foundation of the core institution in the national efforts to preserve experimental organisms.

The Award Ceremony is to be held in Ueno, Tokyo next July.

- Comments from Prof. Kazuo Komagata -
I have worked for "the basis of basis" - microbial taxonomy and culture collection. Research and enterprise in this field can never be carried out without cooperation of relevant persons. Thus, I believe this award of prize is not only an honor for me personally but also something to breed pride and confidence in microbial taxonomists and staff of culture collections.