20-05-2025
Japanese Abel Prize laureate: Creativity is key in mathematics
A Japanese mathematician who won the prestigious Abel Prize has stressed the importance of creativity in research.
Kyoto University Program-Specific Professor Kashiwara Masaki attended the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday.
In a video shown at the start of the ceremony, the professor talked about when he first found mathematics interesting and explained that he still writes formulas by hand.
He then took to the stage and received a glass plaque from King Harald of Norway.
Kashiwara is the first Japanese laureate of the prize created by the Norwegian government. It is sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for mathematics."
He has been recognized for "his fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory, in particular the development of the theory of D-modules."
In a speech, Kashiwara said he is honored to receive the prize, which is "a great recognition of my entire research spanning more than 50 years."
He mentioned his late mentor Sato Mikio and said: "He taught me how important it is to create new things in mathematics. This becomes a valuable guide in my research career."
He concluded the speech with a gratitude for his fellow researchers and his wife, saying that "they have allowed me to devote myself to mathematics and eventually brought the Abel Prize."
The organizers say he is the first laureate working outside the European Union and the United States since the prize was created in 2002.
They also expressed hope the prize will continue to inspire Japanese, Asian and worldwide mathematicians.
