Kyoto Prizes to further stress "moral" achievements The Kyoto Prize is Japans equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The awards are given to individuals…

Kyoto Prizes to further stress "moral" achievements The Kyoto Prize is Japans equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The awards are given to individuals orgroups who have made "significant contributions to the progress of science, the development of civilisation, and the enrichment and elevation of the human spirit." The sponsor of the Prizes is the Inamori Foundation, founded in 1984 by Kazuo Inamori, a successful businessman in ceramics and electronics. The prize is similar to the Nobel Prize, but more inclusive as it acknowledges Arts and Philosophy, as well as Advanced Technology and Basic Science. Unlike the Nobel Prize, however, it is never given to corporations. Every November, three winners of the Kyoto Prizes receive a diploma, a gold watch and 50 million yen. The prizes are given to scientists, philosophers and even filmmakers. In 2001, the Russian laureate, Zhores Ivanovich Alferov, won the Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology for his work with semiconductor lasers at room temperature. He developed an efficient low cost technology that improves communication equipment from fibre-optic networks to personal DVD players. In 2006, the Prize for Arts and Philosophy went to the fashion designer, Issey Miyake, for "creating clothing that can become a part of peoples lives, cutting across time, national borders, and classes." Inamori has criticised modern culture for ignoring our emotional and spiritual development and feels that more recognition should be given to those who work for the common good. "Today we are rushing ahead with incredible scientific and technological achievements, while understanding of our emotional and psychological development lags behind badly," he says. "It is my hope that the Kyoto Prizes will encourage balanced development of both our scientific and our spiritual sides." Inamori worries that people are losing their old models of morality and ethics based on religion. But he believes that if we use our intelligence properly, we can create a*new way of thinking, one that does not add to human suffering. He has now given the Inamori Foundation 70 billion Yen, which he hopes will help to recognise people who contribute to this process. Помогите ответить на вопросы What is the founder of the prize? What do we know about him? What is purprose of the Kyoto Prize? How many people have been awarded the prize? Who are they? How does the founder of the prize explain the idea behind it? Who were the prize laureates in 2001? What achievement did the get the prize for?