TOKYO, JAPAN.-For the first time in the Award's 17 years' history, the Japan Art Association has made the announcement of this year's five Praemium Imperiale Awards Laureates in a ceremony in the Tokyo National Museum. Today, in an event presided over by former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, the names of the Laureates in the five categories were announced as follows: Painting: Robert Ryman; Sculpture: Issey Miyake; Architecture: Yoshio Taniguchi; Music: Martha Argerich; and Theatre/Film: Merce Cunningham.

Previous Laureates include Bridget Riley, Rem Koolhaas, Anselm Kiefer, Akira Kurosawa, Robert Rauschenberg, Claudio Abbado, Sigmar Polke, Norman Foster, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and Jean-Luc Godard.

The Praemium Imperiale Awards are the world¹s richest and most prestigious arts awards, recognising excellence and international impact in the Arts. Laureates in each category are awarded 15million yen (c. £75,000).

The Grant for Young Artists, an ancillary award to the Praemium Imperiale, designed to encourage institutions that encourage and support young artists, was given to the Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy. This organisation, based in Gunma Prefecture in Japan, will receive 5 million yen (c. £25,000) to help with its efforts in developing the talent of young musicians.