A day after "nihonium" was announced as the name of atomic element 113, the physicist who led the discovery team said Thursday the name was chosen to thank Japanese people for their support.

Nihonium (Nh) came to fruition thanks to a long-term project funded by taxpayers, said Kosuke Morita, the Kyushu University professor who led the team at state-backed Riken science research institute. Riken started the project to discover element 113 in September 2003.

"What we are working on is fundamental research, meaning the discovery of a new element will not immediately help produce new medicines or create unprecedented materials," Morita said at a news conference at the Riken research center in Wako, Saitama Prefecture.