Dr. Sumio Iijima, Member of the IAR Academy and Distinguished Invited University Professor of Nagoya University, has been awarded The Order of Culture (Bunka Kunsho, Japan’s top cultural award) by the Japanese Government, for his distinguished contributions to the development of high resolution electron microscope and the discovery of carbon nanotubes.

In 1991, applying the advanced electron microscopy techniques, Dr. Iijima discovered the needle crystal which was synthesized on a carbon electrode subjected to arc discharge. He then clarified that the crystals are made of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure, and named them carbon nanotubes. This discovery opened a global research field of carbon nanotechnology from basic materials science to practical applications.

The Order of Culture is awarded to those who made significant contributions to art, literature or culture in Japan. The Order was presented at the ceremony held in the Imperial Palace on November 3, 2009.