For Pioneering Contributions to Conception and Development of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and Leadership in Its Practical Application -
The Honda Foundation has selected Dr. Kenichi Iga (honorary professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo and 18th president of former Tokyo Institute of Technology), as the recipient of the 2025 Honda Prize. The international award in science and technology honors his pioneering work in conceiving the Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and his contributions to advancing fundamental research and practical applications. The foundation is a public interest incorporated foundation established by Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and his younger brother Benjiro.
In 1980, the Honda Foundation established the Honda Prize to acknowledge research achievements that contribute to "the creation of a truly humane civilization." Foreseeing the new potential of ecotechnology,*1 the Honda Prize is Japan’s first international award for scientific and technological achievements across a wide range of academic fields, encompassing the entire research process from discovery and invention to application and widespread usage.
In 2025, the 46th Honda Prize will be awarded to Dr. Iga for his conception of VCSEL in 1977 and his pioneering contributions to its development and practical applications. The award ceremony will take place at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, on November 17, 2025. In addition to the prize medal and diploma, Dr. Iga will receive 10 million yen in prize money.
Ecotechnology: Human-friendly philosophy founded on science and technology and designed to harmonize the natural and human environments and find resolutions to social issues, adopting a methodology that implies something more than just "being friendly to the Earth," which is the meaning usually associated with the word "ecology."
