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Japanese inventor wins major technology prize

Japanese inventor Shuji Nakamura was on Thursday named winner of the world's biggest technology award.
Handout of Millennium Technology Prize winner Shuji Nakamura
Japanese inventor Shuji Nakamura was named winner of the world's biggest technology award.Lehtikuva / UCSB Photographic Services via R
/ Source: Reuters

Japanese inventor Shuji Nakamura was on Thursday named winner of the one million euro ($1.26 million) Millennium Technology Prize, the world's biggest technology award.

Nakamura was chosen for his inventions on revolutionary new light sources, inexpensive energy and water purification, the Helsinki-based Millennium Prize Foundation said.

His inventions include a high brightness blue laser which have opened the way to a new generation of high capacity DVD players and recorders.

He is also responsible for other solid state light sources widely seen as the next big thing in lighting because they are sturdy, energy efficient and long lasting.