Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureate Hideki Shirakawa Dies at 90

evening · 3 September 2026 · thread: Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureate Hideki Shirakawa Dies at 90

3 sources · Japan

Who reported this

Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
Kyodo News Japan · Centre · Non-profit publisher cooperative
The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings

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Hideki Shirakawa, the Japanese scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000, has died at the age of 90. His family announced on Thursday that he passed away in late August. Shirakawa was recognized for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, which demonstrated that plastics could conduct electricity by combining the flexibility of polymers with the electrical conductivity of metals. These materials serve as a key component of modern touch screens.

Shirakawa was the ninth Japanese citizen to receive a Nobel prize and the second from Japan to win in the chemistry category. He shared the 2000 award with American scientists Alan MacDiarmid and Alan Heeger. A professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba, he graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1966 and previously worked as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. He also served for two years on an expert panel for the government's science and technology policy making body.

How each side framed it

Centre-left: This outlet focused on the practical application of his work in its headline by highlighting the development of electricity conducting plastic.
Centre: These outlets provided a factual account of his death, focusing on his academic credentials and the technical nature of his discovery.

Sources

Centre-left Asahi Shimbun: Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Hideki Shirakawa dies, developed plastic that conducts electricity Japan · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
Centre Kyodo News: 2000 Nobel prize laureate in chemistry Shirakawa dies at 90 Japan · Non-profit publisher cooperative
Centre The Japan Times: Nobel-winning Japanese scientist Hideki Shirakawa dies at 90 Japan · News2u Holdings

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.