Makoto Nagao

Makoto Nagao, 2009

Makoto Nagao ( Japanese 長尾 真 , Nagao Makoto; born October 4, 1936 in Mie Prefecture ) is a Japanese computer scientist and science organizer.

Live and act

Makoto Nagao graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto University in 1959 . After completing his graduate training, he became an assistant at his alma mater in 1961. In 1966 he received his doctorate, and in 1968 he was appointed assistant professor. In 1967 he worked in France as a visiting researcher at the University of Grenoble . In 1971 he became a professor at Kyōdai. In 1986 he took over as director of the university's main computer center. In 1991 Nagao became the first chairman of the newly founded “International Association for Machine Translation” (IAMT), and in 1994 first chairman of the “Association for Language Processing” (言語 処理 学会, Gengo shori gakkai). In 1995 he became director of the University Library of Kyoto University, and in 1997 President of the university. In 2003 he retired and was honored as "Meiyo Kyōju".

In 2007 Nagao became director of the National Parliamentary Library and in 2014 a member of the Japanese Academy of Sciences . In 2015 he became chairman of the "International Institute of Advance Studies" (国際 高等 研究所, Kokusai kōtō kenkyūjo), a think tank established in 1984 in Kansai Science City . In 2016 he finally became chairman of the "Kyōto Prefectural Public University Corporation" (京都 府 公立 大学 法人).

Publications (selection)

• “Theory of image recognition” (画像 認識論, Gazō ninshiki-ron) 1983
• "Computer pattern recognition" (コ ン ピ ュ ー タ の パ タ ー ン 認識, Computer no pattern ninshiki) 1985
• “Machine translation, how far does it go?” (機械 翻 訳 は ど こ ま で 可能 か, Kikai honyaku wa, doko made kanō ka) 1986
• "Artificial intelligence and man" (人工 知能 と 人間, Jinkō chinō to ningen) 1992
• "The electronic library" (電子 図 書館; Denshi toshokan) 1994
• “What does 'understanding' mean” (「わ か る」 と は 何 か, 'Wakaru' towa nanika) 2001
• “As for the library of the future” (未来 の 図 書館 を 作 る と は, Mirai no toshokan o tsukuru to wa) 2012

Awards (selection)

• 1986 Prize of the Society for Electronic Information Transmission (電子 情報 通信 学会 業績 賞)　
• 1993 IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award
• 1997 Prize of the Society for Information Processing (情報 処理 学会 功績 賞)
• 1997 Prize of the "International Association for Machine Translation"
• 1997 Medal of Honor (Japan)
• 1999 Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nottingham
• 2000 IEEE fellow
• 2004 Admission to the Legion of Honor
• 2005 Japan Prize
• 2008 person with special cultural merits
• 2012 Special Prize of the City of Kyoto
• 2018 Order of Culture

Remarks

1. ↑ Meiyo Kyōju (名誉 教授) is occasionally rendered in German as "Professor emeritus". But in contrast to this title, which is automatically used on retirement, this is a special award only occasionally granted in Japan.

Web links

• Kyōto city: biography, Japanese
• Short biography in the Kotobank