The Award of The Anthropological Society of Nippon
“The Award of The Anthropological Society of Nippon” is given to members of ASN who is considered to have made an exceptional contribution to his/her field of specialization.
2016 award
Shoji KAWAMURA
Dr. Kawamura has been engaged in research aimed at elucidating the evolution of color vision polymorphisms in primates. He integrated methods of molecular genetics and behavioral ecology, and applied this methodology to wild primate pupulations in Costa Rica. He has comprehensively advanced his study on evolutionary adaptations in color vision—from method development to empirical research—across both field and laboratory settings. In particular, he is highly regarded for providing a compelling explanation regarding the adaptive significance of the mechanisms by which color vision polymorphisms are maintained within populations of Platyrrhini monkeys. These findings also offer new perspectives on our understanding of human color vision polymorphisms. He has published numerous articles from international collaborative research, mentored many young researchers, and contributed to the long-term development of anthropology.
2011 award
Gen SUWA
Prof. SUWA, who discovered first, in December 1992, a fossil specimen of Ardipithecus ramidus-ca. 4.4 million year-old, has conducted interdisciplinary work with Prof. Tim White, USA, Dr. Berhane Asfaw, Ethiopia, and others on the collected specimens of Ar. ramidus since the early 2000s, and contributed to clarifying the paleobiology of the fossil hominids older than the australopitecine grade of human evolution. He has led the morphological analysis on the teeth and skulls through developing new approaches. He also contributed to the assessment and understanding of the pelvis, upper and lower limbs, and in formulating hypotheses on the paleo-environment, human-ape common ancestor, and the evolutionary significance of the findings. These results have been published in eight papers in the journal Science.
