WPI-SKCM²’s Prof. Katsuya Inoue Addresses Media Following 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Announcement 

WPI-SKCM2, Hiroshima University, held a press conference on October 9, 2026, at the Science Knot Building, following the announcement that Prof. Kenso Soai, Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science, had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The press conference was organized in response to media inquiries seeking insights from researchers familiar with Prof. Soai and explanations of his Nobel Prize-winning research for the general public.

Prof. Katsuya Inoue, Principal Investigator at WPI-SKCM² and Professor at Hiroshima University, spoke to the media about Prof. Soai’s scientific achievements and their significance. 

Originally from Hiroshima Prefecture and an alumnus of Hiroshima University High School, Prof. Soai was recognized for his pioneering contributions to asymmetric organic synthesis. His research on asymmetric autocatalysis, widely known as the Soai reaction, demonstrated how a small imbalance between mirror-image molecular forms can be amplified through chemical reactions, contributing to our understanding of molecular chirality and its origins.

The press conference provided an opportunity to communicate the significance of this scientific achievement to the wider public while highlighting its connections to Hiroshima’s academic and research community.