Emperor Naruhito attended an award ceremony at The Japan Academy in Tokyo on the morning of June 10.

This year, the Japan Academy Prize was awarded to nine researchers for their outstanding academic achievements.

From among the recipients, the Imperial Prize was additionally presented to Ogawa Seiji, special professor emeritus at Tohoku Fukushi University.

After the ceremony, the emperor asked the professor what he experienced the most difficulty with in his research activities.

Ogawa was commended for his discovery of the principles of fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging that is used to create images of brain activity.

In the afternoon, a tea party was held for Japan Academy Prize recipients at the Imperial Palace for the first time in six years.

Naruhito expressed hope for the attendees to continue their efforts in developing their respective fields.

Empress Masako congratulated Ogawa.

The imperial couple's daughter Princess Aiko, who took part in the tea party for the first time, spoke with some of the prize recipients.