Two Japanese scientists, Tasaku Honjo and Ryuzo Yanagimachi, have been elected foreign associates of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Honjo, 59, dean of the University of Kyoto's Faculty of Medicine, was honored for his contributions to immunology and is known in his field for having elucidated the mechanism behind cell division and cell reproduction.
Last year, Honjo was awarded the Cultural Order Award from the Japanese government.
Yanagimachi, 72, a native of Ebetsu, Hokkaido, is a professor of anatomy and reproductive biology at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine. He and his Hawaii team cloned the world's first mouse.
Honjo and Yanagimachi were among 15 foreign associates from 10 countries and 72 new members elected Tuesday by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.