Senior Nikon Executive to Receive Prestigious IEEE Award; Shoichiro Yoshida, Driving Force Behind Integrated Circuit Lithography

Business Wire, June 15, 2006

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Shoichiro Yoshida, the senior Nikon executive who led pioneering efforts in integrated circuit (IC) lithography and helped establish Nikon as the world leader in this technology, has been named recipient of the 2006 IEEE Robert N. Noyce medal. Sponsored by the Intel Foundation, the award will be presented to Mr. Yoshida in recognition of his 30 years of contributions to IC lithography at the IEEE Honors Ceremony on Saturday, June 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Nikon, Yoshida oversaw initiatives that led to major milestones in IC lithography. One of his most notable accomplishments is the development of advanced steppers and scanners, high-precision instruments used in the complex process of making integrated circuits. Yoshida led an R&D team that developed the industry's first production-worthy stepper in 1980. Over time, Yoshida directed many projects that led to the development of high-performance lithography systems that enabled manufacturing of the most advanced IC devices. His leadership helped establish Nikon as the international leader in the lithography market.

In addition to his work at Nikon, Yoshida helped shape the global semiconductor industry by serving as chairman of the board of SEMI, the global industry association for companies that provide equipment, materials and services used to manufacture semiconductors, nano-scaled structures and related technologies.

He is currently the chairman of the Japan Telescope Industries Association and the Japan Optical Industry Association. A former chairman of the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan and the Japan Society of Precision Engineering, he has received the Medal with Blue Ribbon, Japan's premier award for technology achievement.

The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. Through its 365,000 members in 150 countries, the society is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed more than 900 active industry standards. The organization also sponsors or co-sponsors more than 300 international technical conferences each year.

About Nikon:

Since 1980, Nikon Corporation has been revolutionizing lithography with innovative products and technologies. The company is a worldwide leader in lithography equipment for the microelectronics manufacturing industry with more than 7600 exposure systems installed worldwide. Nikon offers the most extensive selection of production-class steppers and scanners in the industry. These products serve the semiconductor, flat panel display (LCD) and thin-film magnetic head (TFH) industries. Nikon Precision Inc. provides service, training, applications and technical support, as well as sales and marketing for Nikon lithography equipment in North America. For more information about Nikon, access our web site at: http://www.nikonprecision.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, particularly those related to industry requirements and other risks. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this press release.