# Isamu Akasaki

_Japanese engineer (1929-2021)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/isamu-akasaki
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Isamu Akasaki (赤崎 勇, Akasaki Isamu; January 30, 1929 – April 1, 2021) was a Japanese materials scientist specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. He is best known for co-inventing the bright gallium nitride (GaN) p–n junction blue LED in 1989 and subsequently the high-brightness GaN blue LED as well.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 30 January 1929 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Chiran ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P19))
- **Died:** 1 April 2021 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P570))
- **Place of death:** Nagoya ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Japan; Empire of Japan ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; professor; engineer; electrotechnician; university teacher; scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P106))
- **Education:** Kyoto University; Kōnan High School; Seventh Higher School; Nagoya University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P69))
- **Awards:** Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class; Edison Medal; Order of Culture; Nobel Prize in Physics; Charles Stark Draper Prize; Person of Cultural Merit; Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology; Asahi Prize; Medal with Purple Ribbon; IEEE Fellow; Imperial Prize of Japan Academy; Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology; IEEE Jack A. Morton Award; honorary doctorate from University of Montpellier-II; Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706#P166))

## About

Akasaki was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura, "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources."

## Questions

**When was Isamu Akasaki born?**  
Isamu Akasaki was born on 30 January 1929 in Chiran.

**Where did Isamu Akasaki study?**  
Isamu Akasaki was educated at Kyoto University, Kōnan High School, Seventh Higher School, Nagoya University.

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- [Makoto Kobayashi](https://diginpl.com/people/makoto-kobayashi)
- [Masatoshi Koshiba](https://diginpl.com/people/masatoshi-koshiba)
- [Osamu Shimomura](https://diginpl.com/people/osamu-shimomura)
- [Ryōji Noyori](https://diginpl.com/people/ryoji-noyori)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Isamu Akasaki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isamu_Akasaki) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): इसामु आकासाकी](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81_%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%80) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q1673706](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1673706) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Isamu Akasaki 201111.jpg by 大臣官房人事課 (CC BY 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isamu_Akasaki_201111.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Isamu Akasaki, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Isamu Akasaki 201111.jpg — 大臣官房人事課, CC BY 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Isamu Akasaki". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/isamu-akasaki. Retrieved 4 November 2026.