Kenichi Iga received his BE in 1963, his ME in 1965, and his Dr. Eng. Degree in 1968 from Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1968, he joined the P&I Lab at the Tokyo Institute, eventually becoming a full professor in 1984. In 1993, he became the Teiichi Yamazaki Chair Professor. Iga served ad Director of Institute Library and Director of the P&I Microsystem Research Center from 2000 until his retirement, when he was named Professor Emeritus.

He is a Fellow of IEEE and OSA, and he is active in both societies. He has received numerous awards, including the Inada Memorial Prize in 1966, the Sakurai Memorial Prize in 1987, the IEEE Premium Award in 1988, the Ichimura Award in 1990, the Toray Award in 1995, the Asahi Award in 1998, the John Tyndall Award in 1998, the Millennium Medal in 2000, the Distinguished Scientist Award in 2000, and the Rank Prize in 2002. In 2001, he received the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese Emperor.