/ニュース [Obituary] Professor, Dr. Isamu Akasaki Passes Away

This is to inform you that Professor Isamu Akasaki passed away from pneumonia on 1st April,2021 at a hospital in Nagoya. He was 92 years old.

We will keep all parties up to date as more information becomes available.

Bio: Dr. Akasaki was born in the Kagoshima district of Japan and graduated from the School of Science, at the University of Kyoto in 1952. Following his tenure at Nagoya University, he started teaching in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Meijo University in 1992. In 1989, after much hard work, he invented Blue Light-Emitting Diodes. At the time, it was thought to be an unachievable task during the 20th century. This triumph led to his receiving of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2014 with Professor Hiroshi Amano and Professor Shuji Nakamura. In 2010, he became a University Professor at Meijo University and in 2015 was honored as a Distinguished Professor. Dr. Akasaki also served as a member of The Japan Academy.

The following message is from University President Akihiro Ohara, offering his heartfelt condolences at the sad news about Dr. Akasaki.

A laureate of Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 and our own Professor Dr. Isamu Akasaki has passed away. I’d like to express our respectful condolences during this sad time.
Dr. Akasaki shed a new light on science by inventing the world’s first efficient blue light-emitting diodes, a task that his peers had unsuccessfully struggled with during the late 20th century. After officially becoming a professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Meijo University in April 1992, he continued to lead the field by conducting research with many of our faculty members and students.
Today, Dr. Akasaki’s research continues at his Meijo Lab under a research consortium investigating GaN (Gallium Nitride). Fellow Nobel Laureate, Dr. Hiroshi Amano remains part of this group, working hard to realize a more efficient energy-saving society.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Dr. Akasaki and his great achievements. From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely hope that he may rest in peace.

2nd April, 2021
Akihiro OHARA
President, Meijo University

*For more details on Dr. AKASAKI’s biography and achievements, please visit our university web site by clicking the link below.

https://www.meijo-u.ac.jp/english/research/

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