Makoto Kumada

Japanese chemist (1920–2007)

Makoto Kumada
Born	(1920-01-17)January 17, 1920
Died	June 28, 2007(2007-06-28) (aged 87)
Nationality	Japanese
Alma mater	Kyoto University
Known for	Kumada coupling
Scientific career
Institutions	Kyoto University, Toshiba, Osaka City University, Kyoto University

Makoto Kumada (熊田誠, Kumada Makoto, 17 January 1920 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese chemist and was a Professor of Chemistry first at Osaka City University until his retirement in 1983 at Kyoto University in Japan. In 1972, Kumada's group reported nickel-catalyzed cross coupling reactions nearly concurrently with the Corriu group working in France. The Kumada coupling now bears his name.

In an interview after the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced, Nobel Committee member Jan Bekvall (professor at Stockholm University) said: "If Professor Kumada been alive, he could have won this year's Nobel Prize for his work in developing cross-coupling."