The International Prize for Biology was instituted in April of 1985 by the Committee on the International Prize for Biology. It aims to commemorate the sixty-year reign of Emperor Showa and his longtime devotion to biological research and also to offer tribute to His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, who has strived over many years to advance the study taxonomy of gobioid fishes while contributing continuously to the developing of this Prize.
 The Prize is awarded in accordance with the following criteria.

1. The Prize shall be made by the Committee every year, commencing in 1985.
2. The Prize shall consist of a medal and a prize of ten million (10,000,000) yen.
3. There shall be no restrictions on the nationality of the recipient.
4. The Prize shall be awarded to an individual who, in the judgment of the members of the Committee, has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology.
5. The specialty within the field of biology for which the Prize will be awarded shall be decided upon annually by the Committee.
6. The Committee shall be advised on suitable candidates for the Prize by a selection committee, which will consist of Japanese and overseas members.
7. The selection committee shall invite nominations of candidates from such relevant individuals and organizations at home and abroad as the selection committee may deem appropriate.
8. The selection committee shall submit to the Committee a report containing recommendations of the candidate for the Prize and supporting statement.
9. The Prize shall be presented every year. In conjunction with the ceremony, an international symposium is held in which the Prize recipient is invited to give a special lecture.