By NAOYA KON/ Staff Writer
December 11, 2019 at 17:30 JST
STOCKHOLM--For chemist Akira Yoshino, winning this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry hadn't sunk in until he received his medal and diploma from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf himself at the awards ceremony here on Dec. 10.
“Now I feel I’ve really been awarded the Nobel Prize,” Yoshino said after the event at the Stockholm Concert Hall.
The audience burst into applause as the 71-year-old, dressed in a tailcoat, took the stage to be recognized for his contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries.
Yoshino shares the prize, which carries a sum of 9 million kronor (100 million yen, or $919,000), with John Goodenough, 97, a professor of engineering at the University of Texas, and Stanley Whittingham, 77, a professor of chemistry at the State University of New York.
The two men appeared on the stage before Yoshino.
Research by the honorary fellow at Asahi Kasei Corp. led to the development of the lithium-ion battery, and Yoshino is credited with helping to bring the technology that has transformed modern life into wider use.
Among the 1,600 or so people who attended the ceremony were Yoshino’s wife, Kumiko, 71, Asahi Kasei President Hideki Kobori and younger employees of the company who jointly worked with Yoshino on his research.
Afterward, Yoshino attended a banquet in the Blue Hall inside the city hall with 1,350 or so fellow scientists, cultural figures and other prominent guests invited by the king.
Entering the venue with his co-winners, Yoshino took a seat next to his wife at a table in the center of the hall, where he was seen smiling and chatting with other guests.
A champagne toast kicked off the proceedings, with waiters then swooping in to deliver more drinks and food to the guests.
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