Nobel Prize in mathematics for the Japanese "visionary" who counted cranes and turtles

BarcelonaMasaki Kashiwara (1947) became a mathematician at an early age. His passion for algebra came to him at school with a problem he had to solve: he had to determine how many cranes and turtles were inside a box, given the total number of heads and legs. Finding the answer wasn't enough, though; he generalized a method for solving the mystery: at 23, he developed D-module theory, a key tool for studying differential equations. Now, at 78 years old and after a brilliant career, he has become the first Japanese—and the second Asian—to receive the Abel Prize in mathematics, considered the Nobel Prize in mathematics and endowed with 660,000 euros.

Kashiwara's contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory have earned him the prestigious award from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, which will be presented at a ceremony in Oslo on May 20. "For more than half a century in mathematics, Masaki Kashiwara has opened the door to a new field. He has built bridges and created tools, proving surprising theorems with methods no one had imagined. He has been a true mathematical visionary," the award explanation states.

"D-module theory is a key tool in many branches of mathematics, from number theory to mathematical physics," says Oscar García-Prada, a Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) research professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT), which highlights basic elements of algebra. This approach is fundamental in quantum physics to describe particles with symmetries, and in crystallography to study how atoms are organized in crystals, according to the ICMAT in a press release.

The winner, affiliated with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Kyoto University, has also "given many informal talks with unpublished approaches that have been highly influential and inspiring for many mathematicians," says García-Prada.

Only one woman to have won the award in 22 years

In the 22-year history of the Abel Prize, one of the most important in mathematics along with the Fields Medal, it had only been awarded once to an Asian scientist: the Indian Srinivasa SR Varadhan, in 2007. Last year it was received by the Frenchman Michel Talagrand, for her contributions to probability theory and functional analysis. Among the 27 recipients so far, however, only one is a woman: Professor Karen Uhlenbeck won Abel in 2019 for "his essential work in the studies of analysis, geometry, physics and mathematics."