Nagoya University created the Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award to honor their scientific legacy.
In 2015, Nagoya University established the Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award in honor of the couple’s scientific legacy. The year is documented in the available source, although the exact date of establishment is not given.
The creation of the award shows how deeply the Okazakis’ discovery had become embedded in the institutional memory of the university where both studied and worked. By naming an award after them, Nagoya University ensured that their contribution would continue to be visible to future generations of students and researchers.
For Tsuneko Okazaki in particular, the award also served as a form of historical redress and remembrance. It commemorated a woman whose achievements had once had to compete for recognition in a male-dominated academic world, and it linked her name permanently to the training and encouragement of young scientists.