About the Yukawa-Kimura Prize
Following the passing of Professor Toshiei Kimura in December 2005, Mrs. Hiroko Kimura generously donated part of his heritage to the Yukawa Memorial Foundation for the promotion of theoretical physics, in particular of gravitational physics and field theory, to which the late Professor Kimura made many pioneering contributions. The Yukawa-Kimura prize was established in 2007 on this donation. The Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, is entrusted with selection of the awardees. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding achievements in theoretical studies of gravity/spacetime theories, field theory, or other related areas. Depending on the nature of the achievement, it may be conferred upon a single scientist or jointly on multiple scientists, provided they are recognized as having made significant contributions and are expected to play leading roles in these fields in the future. Each awardee is presented with a certificate. A selection committee is formed under the excutive committee of the Yukawa Institute, which consists of representatives of the community of theoretical physicists in Japan.About Professor Toshiei Kimura
Career
Professor Toshiei Kimura was born on August 10th, 1925, in Hiroshima. He graduated from Kyoto Imperial University in 1948. Right after his graduation from the university, he was offered assistant professorship at the Research Institute for Theoretical Physics, Hiroshima University. He was promoted to associate professor a few years later and eventually to full professor, and served as the director of the institute for several years. He worked there until his retirement from Hiroshima University in 1990. After his retirement from Hiroshima University, he worked as professor at Prefectural University of Hiroshima from 1990 to 1994. He passed away in December 2005 at the age of 80.
Achievements
Professor Kimura made many important, pioneering contributions to theoretical physics, especially in the fields of general relativity, gravitation and cosmology. His notable achievements include the canonical quantization of cosmological gravitational modes (1962-64), the discovery of gravitational anomaly (1968-69), and the derivation of the second post-Newtonian equations of motion for many-body systems (1973-1974). He received Particle Physics Medal in 2003 for his pioneering work on gravitational anomaly, and he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure under the name of the Emperor of Japan in 2005.
About the Prize
News
January 23, 2026: Report of the Ceremony for the Yukawa-Kimura Prize of 2025 is uploaded. Please visit here.
December 2, 2025: Ceremony for the Yukawa-Kimura Prize will be held on January 14, 2026.
- Date & Time: 15:00～16:30, Wednesday, January 14, 2026
- Venue: Panasonic Hall, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University
- Master of Ceremony: Professor Yoshimasa Hidaka (Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics)
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○Ceremony for the Prize: 15:00～15:30
- ・Opening Address
- Taichi Kugo (Director General, Yukawa Memorial Foundation)
- Hisao Hayakawa (Director General, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics)
- ・Reasons for Awarding, Achievements of the Awardee
Tadashi Takayanagi(Chair of the Selection Committie, Professor at YITP) - ・Presentation of Certificate and Supplementary Prize
- ・Messages from the Awardee: Yuya Tanizaki (Assistant Professor at YITP)
- ・Photo Session
○Commemorative Lecture by the Awardee 15:30～16:30
- Speaker: Dr. Yuya Tanizaki(Assistant Professor, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics)
- Title: Generalization of Symmetry and Reconsideration of Quark Confinement
September 16, 2025: The prize of 2025 was sent to Dr. Yuya Tanizaki of YITP, Kyoto University.
September 10, 2025: The website of Yukawa-Kimura Prize is renewed!
Some of Prize Winners list pages are still under construction. Sorry for the inconvenience.