Japan To Posthumously Honor Yomiuri’s Tsuneo Watanabe; Govt Announces Third Grade, Senior of the Court Rank

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:37 JST, January 17, 2025

Tsuneo Watanabe, representative director and editor-in-chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, who died on Dec. 19 at the age of 98, will be given the honor of Third Grade, Senior of the Court Rank, the government decided at a Cabinet meeting on Friday morning.

The investiture is a mark of honor performed as an act of the Emperor in matters of state. It is a way to honor and mourn those who have served the nation and the public during their lifetime after they pass away.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi explained that the decision was based on a comprehensive evaluation of Watanabe’s achievements. Regarding those achievements, Hayashi said during a press conference: “He was active as a journalist of the political department. As the president [of The Yomiuri Shimbun], he has also achieved a great deal on the management side. In the field of sports, he played a major role in the development of the baseball world as the owner of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team.”