Four researchers, including two Japanese, have been named the winners of this year's Japan Prize.

The prize is awarded to those recognized as having contributed to peace and prosperity of humankind through their achievements in science and technology.

Nakazawa Masataka, a distinguished professor at Tohoku University, and Hagimoto Kazuo, principal researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, won the prize in the category of Electronics, Information and Communication.

They were recognized for their contribution to the global long-distance, high-capacity optical fiber network through development of the semiconductor laser pumped optical amplifier.

Nakazawa said in a news conference that the prize is the result of his strong will to pursue his interests and passions, and devotion to his research.

Hagimoto said many people used to dismiss his work as useless, but he did not care what they said and continued to pursue his ideal.

The other winners of this year's prize are Professor Gero Miesenbock from Britain's Oxford University and Professor Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University in the United States.

They won the prize in the category of Life Sciences for developing methods that use genetically addressable light-sensitive membrane proteins to unravel neural circuit function.

The award ceremony is scheduled for April 13 in Tokyo.