The NARO Research Prize is awarded annually to outstanding research achievements with high social, economic and academic impacts from among the major research of the previous year, in order to raise motivation of the research staff and facilitate the revitalization of various research initiatives at NARO.
Awardees of NARO Research Prize 2025
1. Building a social implementation infrastructure by publishing a lactic acid bacteria database
NARO-Pro 6-3, Lactic acid bacteria DB team
Keitaro KIMURA
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Hideaki OIKE
Division of Meat Animal and Poultry Research, Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO
Akio KOBAYASHI
Data Research Promotion Office, Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology, NARO
Satoru TOMITA
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Sora HAYASHIDA
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Miho KOBAYASHI
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Tatsuro HAGI
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Masaru NOMURA
Division of Food Processing and Biomaterials Research, Institute of Food Research, NARO
Masanori TONO
Division of Feed and Livestock Research, Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO
Related Paper Publication
- Fu, W., Kobayashi, A., & Yano, H. (2025). Improvement in Smoothness of Fermented Soymilk Yogurt-Mimic by Effective Use of Applicable Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains. Foods, 14(18), 3235.
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/18/3235 - Tomita, S., Inaoka, T., Endo, A., & Okada, S. (2024). Raw material-dependent changes in bacterial and compositional profiles are involved in insufficient pH decrease in natural lactic fermentation of Brassica rapa leaves. Food Chemistry, 437, 137934
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814623025529 - Tomita, S., Watanabe, J., Kuribayashi, T., Tanaka, S., & Kawahara, T. (2021). Metabolomic evaluation of different starter culture effects on water-soluble and volatile compound profiles in nozawana pickle fermentation. Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences, 2, 100019.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666566221000101
2. Development of a revolutionary new sowing technology, the "Disk-type High-Speed One-Operation Sowing Method," which combines drainage measures with high efficiency
Disc-type High-Speed One-Operation Sowing Development Group
Naoki MATSUO
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Kimiyasu TAKAHASHI
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Koichiro FUKAMI
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Keiko NAKANO
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Related Paper Publication
- Design and evaluation of a one-operation shallow up-cut tillage sowing method for soybean production
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1343943X.2019.1625274
3. Breeding the "Sora Series" high yield soybean cultivars
High-yielding Soybean cultivars "Sora Series" Breeding Group
Shin KATO
Division of Advanced Field Crops Breeding Research, Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Nobuhiko OKI
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Takashi SAYAMA
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Satoshi SHIMAMURA
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Ryo YAMAZAKI
Division of Advanced Field Crops Breeding Research, Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Yoshitake TAKADA
Division of Hilly and Semi-Mountainous Area Horticulture Research, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Yohei NANJO
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Kunihiko KOMATSU
Division of Hilly and Semi-Mountainous Area Horticulture Research, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Ai HISHINUMA
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Kaori HIRATA
Division of Advanced Field Crops Breeding Research, Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Eri SASATANI
Division of Crop Rotation Research for Lowland Farming, Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Masayasu SARUTA
Division of Hilly and Semi-Mountainous Area Farming Research, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Yuhi KONO
Division of Lowland Farming Research, Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Tetsuya YAMADA
Incubation Laboratory, Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology, NARO
Emiko AOKI
Division of Advanced Field Crops Breeding Research, Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Koji TAKAHASHI
Department of Research Promotion, Institute of Crop Science, NARO
Kenichiro YAMASHITA
Department of Research Promotion, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Masakazu TAKAHASHI
Department of Research Promotion, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Related Paper Publication
- Development of a new soybean cultivar ʻSorahibikiʼ with high yield and lodging resistance in the southern Tohoku and Hokuriku regions of Japan
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/naroj/2025/23/2025_21/_pdf/-char/ja - Breeding a high yielding 'Soramizuki' soybean variety for the Kanto to Kyushu region, developed from a contemporary U.S. variety
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/naroj/2023/16/2023_43/_pdf/-char/ja - A new soybean cultivar ʻSoratakakuʼ sired by a modern U.S. cultivar, suitable for the high yield production in the regions from Tokai to Kyushu
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/naroj/2025/23/2025_41/_pdf/-char/ja - Breeding a high yielding ʻSoraminoriʼ soybean variety for the Tokai to Kyushu region
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/naroj/2025/23/2025_3/_pdf/-char/ja
4. From wild insects to large-scale production: commercializing bagworm silk through mass-breeding technologies and factory production processes
Bagworm Silk Research Group
Ryoko ICHIKI
Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Taiyo YOSHIOKA
Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Yusuke KANBE
Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Nobuto YAMADA
Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Tsunenori KAMEDA
Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO
Awardees of NARO Research Prize 2025 Special
S1. Development and Extension of Vapor Heat Treatment for Disinfecting Sweet Potato Seed Tubers to Control Foot Rot Disease
Sweet Potato Vapor Heat Treatment Research Group
Yusuke ARAKAWA
Division of Field Crop and Vegetable Research, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Kirara SAITO
Division of Field Crop and Vegetable Research, Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO
Masako NOGUCHI
Division of Crop Pest Control Research, Institute for Plant Protection, NARO
