Announcement of Awardees of the 2026 (The 20th) Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (Japan Award) and the Awarding Ceremony
〇 Three young researchers from developing countries will be awarded for their outstanding research achievements in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. 〇 Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Award, special lectures by two former award recipients will be presented as part of the awarding ceremony. |
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has decided this year's awardees of the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (Japan Award).
The awarding ceremony will be held at AKIHABARA Convention Hall, Tokyo, Japan on November 26th, 2026.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Award.
1. Overview
Japan Award, organized by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC), MAFF, Japan from 2007, aims to motivate young researchers who engage in research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries in developing regions. Up to three young researchers are commended with the awards for their outstanding performance and research achievements each year.
The chairman of the AFFRC bestows testimonials on the winners. They also win “MOTAI-JIRCAS Award*” of USD5,000.
＊ The award is implemented with the donation from Mr. Shigeru MOTAI, the former Chairman of the AFFRC, supported by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS).
2. Awardees
| Name (Age*1, Gender, Nationality) |
Institute*2 | Research Achievement |
| Dr. Sourou Angelot Paterne AGRE (38, Male, Beninese) |
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA | Transforming Yam Production in Africa through Integrated Breeding, Genomics, and Innovation |
| Dr. Bappa DAS (36, Male, Indian) |
ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning | Development and Deployment of Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence-based Digital Technologies for Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Climate-Smart Agriculture |
| Dr. Valentina Rocio CORDOVA-ALARCON (34, Female, Chilean) |
Universidad de Chile | Traceability and Authenticity in Fishmeal: development and evaluation of integrated CRISPR-Cas and DETECTR systems for species identification in complex samples traded from Chilean fisheries to the world |
＊1 Age is as of January 1st, 2026
＊2 Affiliation is as of the time of application.
The Achievement Summaries of the the three awardees are available here.
The Achievement Summaries(PDF : 57KB)
3. Date and Venue of the Awarding Ceremony
(1) Date
Thursday, November 26th, 2026
9：00 Registration opens
9：30 - 10：25 Awarding ceremony
10：40 - 11：45 Lectures by Award Recipients and Former Award Recipients
(2) Venue
AKIHABARA Convention Hall
(Akihabara Dai Bldg. 4F 1-18-13 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021)
4. Commemorative Activities for the 20th Anniversary of the Award
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Award. To celebrate this milestone, the following commemorative activities will be conducted.
(1) Introduction of Commemorative Logos
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Award, an official Award logo and a special anniversary logo have been created.
The logos were designed to reflect the spirit and objectives of the Award, including promoting research and development in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by young foreign researchers who are expected to serve as bridges between Japan and their home countries, contributing to the development of developing regions, fostering international networks among young researchers, and encouraging continued innovation.
The logos will be used in various communications and promotional materials related to the Award.
The logos were designed to reflect the spirit and objectives of the Award, including promoting research and development in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by young foreign researchers who are expected to serve as bridges between Japan and their home countries, contributing to the development of developing regions, fostering international networks among young researchers, and encouraging continued innovation.
The logos will be used in various communications and promotional materials related to the Award.
 Japan Award Logo |
 20th Anniversary Logo |
(2) Commemorative Lectures by Former Award Recipients
Two former award recipients will be invited to deliver commemorative lectures on their research activities and achievements after receiving the Award.
Speakers
Dr. Lee Hong Tnah（Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Malaysia）
Recipient of the 7th Japan Award (2013) for the achievement entitled “Timber Tracking System of an Important Malaysian Timber Species, Neobalanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae), Using a DNA Approach.” After receiving the Award, she has further advanced her research and has been working on the practical implementation of scientific timber-origin tracing technologies and their application in policy development.
Dr. Viengsakoun Napasirth（Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Lao PDR）
Recipient of the 9th Japan Award (2015) for the achievement entitled “Development and Utilization of Silage Technique and Agro-Industrial By-products for Cattle Feed for the Promotion of Sustainable Livestock Agriculture in Laos.” Even after receiving the Award, he continues his research on livestock feed and ruminant production systems utilizing local resources, contributing to the development of sustainable livestock production in Laos.
Speakers
Dr. Lee Hong Tnah（Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Malaysia）
Recipient of the 7th Japan Award (2013) for the achievement entitled “Timber Tracking System of an Important Malaysian Timber Species, Neobalanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae), Using a DNA Approach.” After receiving the Award, she has further advanced her research and has been working on the practical implementation of scientific timber-origin tracing technologies and their application in policy development.
Dr. Viengsakoun Napasirth（Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Lao PDR）
Recipient of the 9th Japan Award (2015) for the achievement entitled “Development and Utilization of Silage Technique and Agro-Industrial By-products for Cattle Feed for the Promotion of Sustainable Livestock Agriculture in Laos.” Even after receiving the Award, he continues his research on livestock feed and ruminant production systems utilizing local resources, contributing to the development of sustainable livestock production in Laos.
5. Registration
This event is open to public. To register, please follow the link below to access the online registration page. Only online registration is accepted; please refrain from making a call to register.
Registration deadline is Tuesday, November 24th 2026, 17：00.
6. To The Press
Please register online by following the link provided in "5.Registration"
7. Event held on the same day: JIRCAS International Symposium 2026
JIRCAS International Symposium 2026 “Transforming Agricultural Risk Management in a Multi-Hazard World: Insights for Food Security and Resilience from Science and Field Implementation” will be held at the same venue from 13：30 on the same day. If you would like to participate, please register with the following URL.
Registration deadline is Tuesday, November 24th 2026, 17：00.
For more information about the symposium, please visit the following Website:
8. Reference
For the announcement of the 2026 (The 20th) Japan Award, please visit the following URL.
For more information about previous awardees, please visit the following URL.
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Contact Information:
International Research Collaboration Division
Telephone：+81-3-3502-8111
Direct Line：+81-3-3502-7467
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