Nobel chemistry prize goes to Japan's Soai Kenzo, third straight year of Japanese wins
In short
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Soai Kenzo, 76, a professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, giving Japan a laureate for a third consecutive year. This year's Nobel announcements began on October 5 Japan time with the physiology or medicine prize and were set to run through October 12. Before the first announcement, TBS NEWS DIG highlighted cadherin and optical lattice clock researchers as candidates to watch.
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The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Soai Kenzo, 76, a professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on October 7. According to Yomiuri, the award follows the 2024 peace prize and last year's prizes in physiology or medicine and chemistry, giving Japan a laureate for a third consecutive year — a run the paper said Japan has achieved only three times, the first coming in 2016. [ 4 ]
This year's Nobel announcements began on October 5 Japan time, TBS NEWS DIG reported, with the schedule running through October 12. The physiology or medicine prize came first, scheduled by the Nobel committee for 6:30 p.m. Japan time on October 5, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Asahi noted that the physics prize would be announced the following day. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Ahead of the first announcement, Japanese media focused on possible candidates rather than results. TBS NEWS DIG cited a RIKEN honorary researcher surnamed Takeichi, described as the discoverer of the cell-adhesion molecule cadherin, and a researcher surnamed Katori, linked to the optical lattice clock, as figures drawing attention, and framed the contest as whether Japan would win for a third year in a row. The Asahi Shimbun ran a roundtable with the editor-in-chief of the science magazine Newton and one of its own reporters on likely candidates and fields, though part of that article sat behind a paywall. [ 1 , 2 ]
Yomiuri placed the chemistry result in a longer history. It said the Nobel Prize was first awarded in 1901 under the will of Alfred Nobel and now covers six fields. Japan's first Nobel was the 1949 physics prize to Hideki Yukawa; Yasunari Kawabata took the literature prize in 1968 and former prime minister Eisaku Sato the peace prize in 1974. Citing the education ministry, Yomiuri said the United States leads in the three natural-science prizes with 285 laureates, followed by Britain with 89 and Japan with 27, fifth overall. Last year's Japanese winners were Shimon Sakaguchi in physiology or medicine and Susumu Kitagawa in chemistry, the paper said. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
A third consecutive year with a Japanese Nobel laureate keeps national attention on the remaining 2026 prizes, which are scheduled to be announced through October 12. The chemistry award also extends Japan's standing in the natural sciences, where the education ministry counts 27 laureates against 285 for the United States. The documents say nothing about the practical impact of the research that was recognised.
Key facts
- The 2026 Nobel Prize announcements began on October 5 Japan time and were scheduled to continue through October 12. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Soai Kenzo, 76, a professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Science. [ 4 ]
- The chemistry award gives Japan a laureate for a third consecutive year, something Yomiuri says has happened only three times, the first in 2016. [ 4 ]
- Citing the education ministry, Yomiuri reported the United States leads in the three natural-science prizes with 285 laureates, Britain has 89 and Japan has 27, fifth overall. [ 4 ]
- Ahead of the first announcement, TBS NEWS DIG named a RIKEN honorary researcher surnamed Takeichi, described as the discoverer of the cell-adhesion molecule cadherin, and a researcher surnamed Katori, linked to the optical lattice clock, as figures drawing attention. [ 1 ]
- The physics prize was due to be announced on October 6, the Asahi Shimbun noted. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Who won the 2026 physiology or medicine, physics, literature, peace and economics prizes. The documents report only the announcement schedule and the chemistry result; no other 2026 laureates are named.
- What research the 2026 chemistry prize recognised. Yomiuri names the laureate, his age and affiliation but does not describe the work for which he was honoured.
- Whether the candidates named before the first announcement — a RIKEN honorary researcher surnamed Takeichi and a researcher surnamed Katori — received any 2026 prize. They appeared in a pre-announcement TBS NEWS DIG summary of possible candidates, and the documents do not report any outcome for them.
- The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Soai Kenzo, professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TBS NEWS DIG reports that the Nobel announcements begin that evening in Japan and run through October 12, with the physiology or medicine prize first. [ 1 ]
- The Asahi Shimbun publishes a roundtable with the editor-in-chief of the science magazine Newton on likely candidates and fields. [ 2 ]
- The physiology or medicine prize is scheduled to be announced, Japan time. [ 2 ]
- The Asahi Shimbun notes that the physics prize is to be announced that day. [ 3 ]
- The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the chemistry prize has been awarded to Soai Kenzo. [ 4 ]