[Nobel Diary Epilogue] Distinguished Honorary Professor SAKAGUCHI Shimon Reports Nobel Prize Win to President KUMANOGOH Atsushi

Distinguished Honorary Professor SAKAGUCHI Shimon, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, visited President KUMANOGOH Atsushi on January 6 with Professor TAKEDA Kiyoshi, Director of the University of Osaka Immunology Frontier Research Center (iFReC), to report on the award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, and other related activities.

Professor Sakaguchi's academic exchanges continued even after completing the official Nobel events in Stockholm (Nobel Diary Days 1-9). On December 13, he visited Uppsala University, Sweden's oldest university, located in the ancient city of Uppsala. In a packed auditorium, he presented the research findings shared in his Nobel Lecture (commemorative lecture) to the students at Uppsala University.

Following a lively Q&A session with students, he participated in a luncheon at Uppsala Castle, which towers over the university campus. The luncheon featured venison steak, which Professor Sakaguchi praised as his favorite dish during his entire trip to Sweden.

On December 14, he traveled from Stockholm to Gothenburg, a city on Sweden's west coast, and on December 15, he took to the stage at a joint event hosted by the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. Here too, many students and researchers gathered, and through lectures and research sessions, he deepened exchanges with the next generation of researchers. With the lecture at the University of Gothenburg, Professor Sakaguchi's entire schedule in Sweden concluded.

After completing the approximately two-week itinerary, Professor Sakaguchi returned to Japan on December 17. At the very end of his journey, there was a little incident at the airport security check: his pure Nobel Prize medal, stored in its case, triggered the X-ray scanner. During a press conference at Haneda Airport, he showed the Nobel Prize medal to the many reporters gathered there.

In his report to the president, he displayed the actual Nobel Prize medal and diploma (certificate) awarded to him. The conversation flowed in a lively, harmonious atmosphere, touching on the Nobel Prize Concert and the guests who attended the award ceremony in beautiful kimonos.

Furthermore, Professor Sakaguchi donated an official Nobel Foundation replica of the Nobel Prize medal, crafted to look exactly like the real thing, to the University of Osaka, which was then handed over to President Kumanogoh.

Related Link:
Distinguished Honorary Professor Shimon Sakaguchi 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Commemorative Page
https://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/guide/honors/nobelprize2025