The Praemium Imperiale is a group of awards for the arts established to mark the centennial of the Japan Art Association (honorary patron: Prince Hitachi; chair: Hisashi Hieda) and to realize the wish of the late Prince Takamatsu, “to contribute to enhancing and promoting the cultures and arts of the world.”

The International Advisors who recommend candidates are Lamberto Dini (former Prime Minister of Italy), Christopher Patten (former Chancellor of the University of Oxford), Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (former President of the Goethe-Institut), Jean-Pierre Raffarin (former Prime Minister of France), and Hillary Rodham Clinton (former Secretary of State of USA).

With the help of their nomination committees, the International Advisors annually recommend candidates in each of five categories: painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/film. Selection committees in the Japan Art Association review these recommendations and select one laureate in each category. Each of the five laureates receives an honorarium of 15 million yen, as well as a testimonial letter and a medal, which are presented to them at an annual awards ceremony held in autumn in Tokyo.

The Japan Art Association also offers a 5-million-yen Grant for Young Artists. This grant was established in 1997 to encourage young people’s involvement in the arts, and is awarded to an individual or group. The International Advisors, in turn, take responsibility for selecting the recipients.