The Nikkei Asia Prizes are awarded annually to individuals or groups selected for achievement in three categories: regional growth, technological innovation and culture.
This year's winners are the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, of the University of Malaya in Malaysia, for technological innovation; Professor Vo-Tong Xuan, rector of Angiang University in Vietnam for regional growth; and Christine Hakim, an Indonesian actress and film producer, for culture.
This is the seventh year the prizes have been awarded. At the awards ceremony in Tokyo on May 20, each winner will receive a certificate of commendation and an honorarium of 3 million yen.
- This year's winners are
- The Department of Medical Microbiology
- Professor Vo-Tong Xuan
- Christine Hakim
Prizewinners enriched Asia
Three winners chosen from 66 finalists from 18 countries/regions
BY GAISHI HIRAIWA
Chief judge for the Nikkei Asia Prizes
We have decided to award the seventh Nikkei Asia Prizes to the following two people and one organization that have made brilliant accomplishments in each category.
Professor Vo-Tong Xuan, winner of the Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth, has successfully increased rice production in the Mekong Delta region by introducing new strains and educating farmers. His work has contributed to transforming Vietnam, once a net importer of rice, into one of the top rice exporting countries in Asia, and as a result boosted the country's prosperity and improved people's living standards.
The Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Malaya, will receive the Nikkei Asia Prize for Technological Innovation for successfully isolating the Nipah virus, the cause of a type of encephalitis that killed more than 100 people in Malaysia in the late 1990s, and identifying how this dreadful disease spreads from bats to people through pigs. This achievement was crucial in combating this scourge.
Christine Hakim, winner of the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture, has produced films that focus on the lives of ordinary people, while continuing to work as one of the most popular actresses in Indonesia. "Leaf on a Pillow," which she co-produced and starred in, deals with the theme of street children. The film won the Grand Prize and Hakim received the Best Actress Award at the Asia Pacific International Film Festival in 1998. Her collaborative efforts with others in the region's film industry have contributed enormously to the development of Asian cinema.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. commissioned more than 100 experts at home and abroad to submit candidates for the three prize categories. The 89 candidates they selected come from 15 countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific region.
We are pleased to honor the achievements of people in Asia with the Nikkei Asia Prizes and would like to extend our sincere congratulations to this year's winners.
Gaishi Hiraiwa is chairman emeritus of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren).
