{
  "id": 12798625,
  "title": "Nobel winner Kenso Soai says he understood the significance of his research",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/nobel-winner-kenso-soai-says-he-understood-the-significance-of-his",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T05:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/08/japan/science-health/kenso-soai-research-significance/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Japanese scientist Kenso Soai, one of the two recipients of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recognized the importance of his research throughout the process, despite not anticipating the award. Upon receiving a phone call from the Nobel Foundation in Sweden, just hours before the official announcement, Soai, 76, was out shopping for groceries at a supermarket in Shiki, Saitama Prefecture. He expressed his thoughts during a news conference at the Tokyo University of Science, where he taught and conducted research until his retirement in 2016. Soai stated, \"I may sound arrogant, but I had thought I would not get complaints if I won.\"",
  "summary": "\"I may sound arrogant, but I had thought I would not get complaints if I won,\" the Japanese scientist said of his achievement.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}