Nocturne by Alberto Sughi (right) and Yoshihiko Wada's Nightclub

It is the first case in which the Minister of Education's Art Encouragement Prize has been withdrawn.

Wada, 66, who was given the award in March, denied plagiarizing Sughi's work, but the committee determined that his works are copied after "careful deliberations" based on statements by Wada and Sughi, committee member Tadayasu Sakai said.

In Rome, Sughi, 77, said he will not lodge a criminal complaint over the issue. "He has received a social punishment," he said.

The selection committee's Sakai, director of the Setagaya Art Museum, said, "It is regrettable that we set the public aflutter."

The Agency for Cultural Affairs said it is planning to reconsider its selection process.

More than 10 pieces with close similarities to Sughi's works were put on display in an art exhibition of Wada's that significantly helped the artist to win the government award.

The agency began a probe into the matter after receiving an anonymous letter in May that said Wada's paintings were plagiarized.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 10, 2006
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