"The design in the 21st century will undergo great changes. I'd like to consider designs taking into account the environment and other issues," 68-year-old Miyake said, when he was given the Kyoto Prize in the category of arts and philosophy at a ceremony in Kyoto.

Miyaka won the prize for "his innovative development of clothing by fusing Eastern and Western cultures and applying cutting-edge technology," the citation read.

Herzenberg, a Stanford University immunologist and geneticist, became winner in the category of advanced technology for his contribution to the development of life sciences and clinical medicine by taking the lead in developing a flow cytometer that automatically sorts viable cells by their properties.

Akaike, 79, who formulated a new information criterion for the selection of statistical models and helped establish a new paradigm that bridged the worlds of data and modeling, was given the prize for basic sciences.

Each of three laureates received a diploma, a medal and 50 million yen (US$427,000 in prize money from the hands of Inamori Foundation Chairman Hiroo Imura in the presence of Princess Takamado and an audience of about 1,500, according to the foundation.

The Kyoto Prize foundation was established by Kyocera Corp. founder Kazuo Inamori. It has been awarded to individuals or groups selected from a list of worldwide candidates since 1985, into the three categories of arts and philosophy, advanced technology and basic sciences each year.