Japan Recognizes 4,108 People in 2024 Spring Honors

Jiji Press

13:40 JST, April 29, 2024

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—The Japanese government announced on Monday a list of 4,108 people recognized for this year’s spring honors, including former Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, 79, who was given the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

Naoto Otani, 71, former chief justice of the Supreme Court, was given the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, while Hirofumi Hirano, 75, who served as chief cabinet secretary under the administration led by the former Democratic Party of Japan, and seven other people received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Kuroda, the longest-serving BOJ governor, led the central bank’s unprecedented monetary easing to help Japan overcome deflation during his tenure of over 10 years, from March 2013 to April 2023. Kuroda worked for Japan’s Finance Ministry, including as vice finance minister for international affairs, and served as president of the Asian Development Bank before becoming the top Japanese central banker. He now teaches at Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).

Kuroda issued a statement thanking for being awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. He said he thinks that the award was given for the achievements of the Finance Ministry, the ADB and the BOJ, for which he worked.

Besides Kuroda, former Prosecutor-General Katsuyuki Nishikawa, 70, and former Tohoku University President Akihisa Inoue, 76, received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

The awardees of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun other than Hirano include Takakazu Ishii, 78, former governor of Toyama Prefecture, central Japan, Kazuo Tsukuda, 80, former president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Shigeyuki Tomita, 70, former state minister of finance, and Akio Mimura, 83, former head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Hidekazu Tobita, 82, honorary chairman of newspaper publisher Hokkoku Shimbun, based in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, and Shinichiro Ito, 73, former chairman of airline group ANA Holdings Inc., were picked for the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

In the field of culture and art, novelist Noboru Tsujihara, 78, whose real name is Hiroshi Murakami, was chosen for the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, and actor Kenichi Kato, 74, for the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.

Women accounted for 435, or 10.6 pct, of all of the 2024 spring honor recipients. Of them, GRIPS President Hiroko Ota, 70, who previously served as economic and fiscal policy minister, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, and contemporary artist Fujiko Nakaya, 90, received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

A total of 101 foreigners from 49 countries and regions are among this year’s spring honor recipients.

Of them, Kenneth S. Wilsbach, 60, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, and former Indian Ambassador to Japan Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, 68, were awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Former professional wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh, 80, whose real name is Jagjeet Singh Hans, was selected for the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.

Of all awardees, 12 people received the grand cordons, 51 the orders with gold and silver star, 373 the orders with gold rays with neck ribbon, 881 the orders with gold rays with rosette, 1,568 the orders with gold and silver rays, and 1,223 the orders with silver rays.

Recipients will meet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward from May 9.