The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art,

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, science, technology, or anything related to

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

in general; recipients of the order also receive an

annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Stephen G. (1970). ''The Theory of Interest''. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 45 Examples of annuities are regular deposits to a savings account, ...

for life. The order is conferred by the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

in person on

Culture Day is a public holiday in Japan held annually on November 3 for the purpose of promoting culture, the arts, and academic endeavor. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars. ...

(November 3) each year. It is considered equivalent to the highest rank (Grand Cordon) of the Order of the Rising Sun, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, and the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

. The only orders that

Japanese emperors This list of emperors of Japan presents the traditional order of succession. Records of the reigns are compiled according to the traditional Japanese calendar. In the ''nengō'' system which has been in use since the late-seventh century, years are ...

bestow on recipients by their own hands are the

Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously. Apart ...

, the Grand Cordon of each order, and the Order of Culture. The badge of the order, which is in gold with white enamel, is in the form of a

Tachibana orange The tachibana orange (''Citrus tachibana,'' or ''Citrus reticulata tachibana'') is a variety of mandarin orange, a citrus fruit. They grow wild in the forests of Japan and are referred to in the poetry of the early Japanese and Ryukyu Islands kin ...

blossom; the central disc bears three crescent-shaped jades ('' magatama''). The badge is suspended on a gold and enamel wreath of mandarin orange leaves and fruit, which is in turn suspended on a purple ribbon worn around the neck.

System of recognition

The Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit function together in honoring contributions to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in a variety of fields such as academia, arts and others. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
''Culture 2000,'' Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 2.1

Order of Culture

The Emperor himself presents the honor at the award ceremony, which takes place at the Imperial Palace on the Day of Culture (November 3). Candidates for the Order of Culture are selected from the Persons of Cultural Merit by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, upon hearing views of all the members of the selection committee for the Persons of Cultural Merit. The Minister then recommends the candidates to the Prime Minister so that they can be decided by the Cabinet.

Persons of Cultural Merit

The system for Persons of Cultural Merit was established in 1951 by the ''Law on Pensions for the Persons of Cultural Merit.'' The purpose is to honor persons of cultural merit by providing a special government-sponsored pension. Since 1955, the new honorees have been announced on the Day of Culture, the same day as the award ceremony for the Order of Culture.

Selected recipients

Tasuku Honjo Susumu Nakanishi Ikuta Takagi Shinzo Abe Shunichi Iwasaki and Goichi Oda 20131103

A complete list can be found here. *

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese classical and film music composer, best known for his works on the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Biography Early years in Hokkaido Akira Ifukube was born on 31 May 1914 in Kushiro, Japan as the third son of a police officer Toshimi ...

(1914–2006). A composer of classical music and film scores. *

Ryukichi Inada was a Japanese physician, a prominent academic, and bacteriologist researcher. He was the discoverer of the Weil's disease pathogen. In addition to his life's work in early 20th-century Japanese medical education, he was a pioneer in Japanese ...

(1874–1950). A physician, a prominent academic, and bacteriologist researcher. *

Hideo Kobayashi was a Japanese author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan. Early life Kobayashi was born in the Kanda district of Tokyo, where his father was a noted engineer who introduced European diamond polishing techn ...

(1902–1983). An author, who established literary criticism as an independent art form in Japan. *

Hantaro Nagaoka was a Japanese physicist and a pioneer of Japanese physics during the Meiji period. Life Nagaoka was born in Nagasaki, Japan on August 19, 1865 and educated at the University of Tokyo. After graduating with a degree in physics in 1887, Naga ...

(1865–1950). A physicist and a pioneer of Japanese physics in the early Meiji period. *

Nakamura Kichiemon I was a Japanese actor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.Scott, Adolphe C. (1999). Biography Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (''gei'') of that which cannot be seen in a ...

(1896–1954). 1st

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

actor to receive this honor. *

Nakamura Utaemon VI was a Japanese kabuki performer and an artistic director of the Kabuki-za in Tokyo.Strom, Stephanie."Nakamura Utaemon VI, 84, International Star of Kabuki" ''New York Times.'' April 4, 2001''The Dallas Morning News'' He was a prominent member ...

(1917–2001). A famous kabuki actor, known for his oyama roles. *

Kaii Higashiyama was a Japanese writer and artist particularly renowned for his Nihonga style paintings. As one of the most popular artists in post-war Japan, Higashiyama was awarded the Japan Art Academy Prize in 1956 and the Order of Culture in 1969. Biograph ...

(1908–1999). A famous artist and writer, renowned for his Nihonga style paintings. *

Kinjiro Okabe was a Japanese electrical engineering researcher and professor who made major contributions to magnetron and radar development. He did work after the Second World War on medical instruments using ultrasounds. Career Split-anode magnetron On ...

(1896–1984). An electrical engineering researcher and professor who developed the split-anode magnetron. *

Jirō Osaragi was the pen-name of a popular Japanese writer in Shōwa period Japan, known primarily for his historical fiction novels, which appeared serialized in newspapers and magazines. His real name was . Early life Osaragi Jirō was born in Yokohama. H ...

(1897–1973). A popular writer in

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

. * Junjiro Takakusu (1866–1945). An academic, an advocate for expanding higher education opportunities, and an internationally known Buddhist scholar. *

Kenjiro Takayanagi was a Japanese engineer and a pioneer in the development of television. Although he failed to gain much recognition in the West, he built the world's first all-electronic television receiver, and is referred to as "the father of Japanese televisi ...

(1899–1990). A pioneer in the development of

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. *

Morohashi Tetsuji was an important figure in the field of Japanese language studies and Sinology. He is best known as chief editor of the '' Dai Kan-Wa jiten'', a comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters, or ''kanji''. Biography Morohashi's father was also ...

(1883–1982). An important figure in the world of Japanese studies and

Sinology Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to th ...

. * Susumu Tonegawa (born 1939). A scientist who won the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

for Physiology or Medicine in 1987. *

Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as '' The Tale of the Heike'', ''Tale of Genji'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ...

(1892–1962). A historical novelist. *

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...

(1899–1972). A novelist who won the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

in 1968.

1990s

1992

Masaru Ibuka Masaru Ibuka (井深大 ''Ibuka Masaru''; April 11, 1908 – December 19, 1997) was a Japanese electronics industrialist and co-founder of Sony, along with Akio Morita.Kirkup, James"Obituary: Masaru Ibuka,"''Independent'' (London). December 2 ...

(1908–1997). Co-founder, President and Chairman of Sony Corporation."Sony Global-Press Release-Masaru Ibuka 1908-1997"
, ''Sony Press Release Archive'', Retrieved November 11, 2014.

1994

Takashi Asahina was a Japanese conductor. Person Asahina was born in Tokyo as an illegitimate child of Kaichi Watanabe.中丸美繪オーケストラ、それは我なり(in Japanese) Bungeishunjū pp.35-49, 2008 He founded the ''Kansai Symphonic Orche ...

(1908–2001). Orchestral conductor."Takashi Asahina, 93; Musical Director of Orchestra in Japan"
, ''Los Angeles Times'', 31 December 2001. *

Tadao Umesao was a Japanese anthropologist. A professor for decades at Kyoto University, he was also among the founders and the director-general of National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan. A number of Umesao's theories were influential on anthropologis ...

(1920–2010). Ethnologist.

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...

(2 October 2002)
"Brief Summary of Recipients' Careers"
. Press release. Retrieved 18 April 2010. *

Hideo Shima was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the building of the first bullet train (Shinkansen). Shima was born in Osaka in 1901, and educated at the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. His father was p ...

(1901–1998). Railway engineer.

1995

Shigemitsu Dandō was a professor of the department of Social and Political sciences at the University of Tokyo, an academic researcher of criminology, and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan. Overviews Dandō was born in Yamaguchi, and raised in Okayama P ...

(1913–2012). Criminologist. Rockefeller University (October 26, 1995)
"Japanese Government Honors Rockefeller University Professor for Cancer Research"
. Press release. Retrieved 18 April 2010. *

Shūsaku Endō was a Japanese author who wrote from the rare perspective of a Japanese Catholic. Internationally, he is known for his 1966 historical fiction novel ''Silence'', which was adapted into a 2016 film of the same name by director Martin Scorsese. ...

(1923–1996). Writer.

1996

Hanae Mori was a Japanese fashion designer. She was one of only two Japanese women to have presented her collections on the runways of Paris and New York, and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official ''haute couture'' design house by the Fédé ...

(born 1926). Fashion designer."Hanae Mori"
, ''Japan Times Online'', 23 October 2007. * Rizō Takeuchi (1907–1997). Historian of Japan.

1997

Masatoshi Koshiba was a Japanese physicist and one of the founders of neutrino astronomy. His work with the neutrino detectors Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande was instrumental in detecting solar neutrinos, providing experimental evidence for the solar neutrino ...

(1926–2020). Nobel Prize-winning physicist."Order of Culture Awarded", ''Japan Foundation Newsletter'', Vol. XXV, No. 6, March, 1998, page 6
(PDF)
*

Hirofumi Uzawa was a Japanese economist. Biography Uzawa was born on July 21, 1928 in Yonago, Tottori to a farming family. He attended the Tokyo First Middle School (currently the Hibiya High School ) and the First Higher School, Japan (now the University ...

(1928–2014). Economist.

1998

Ikuo Hirayama Ikuo Hirayama (''Hirayama Ikuo'' 平山郁夫; 15 June 1930 – 2 December 2009), was a Japanese Nihonga painter and educator. Born in Setoda, Hiroshima, Setoda-chō, Hiroshima Prefecture, he was famous in Japan for Silk Road paintings of drea ...

(1930–2009).

Nihonga ''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...

artist."Order of Culture", ''Japan Foundation Newsletter'', Vol. XXVI, No. 4, February, 1999, page 7
(PDF)
*

Tadamitsu Kishimoto is a Japanese immunologist known for research on IgM and cytokines, most famously, interleukin 6. He did postdoctoral work under Kimishige Ishizaka, the discoverer of IgE at Johns Hopkins University. He is listed by the Institute for Scientif ...

(born 1939). Immunologist.

1999

Hiroyuki Agawa (December 24, 1920 – August 3, 2015) was a Japanese author. He was known for his fiction centered on World War II, as well as his biographies and essays. Literary career Agawa was born in Hiroshima, Japan. As a high school student Agawa wa ...

(1920–2015). Writer."Prime Minister Attends Order of Culture Award Ceremony"
, ''Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet'' (official website), November 3, 1999. *

Fuku Akino was a Japanese painter. She was born in Futamata, Iwata-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently, Nimata Town, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City). She became known by her paintings of Indian themes, landscapes and peoples. Life and career Akino got ...

(1908–2001). Nihonga artist. *

Takeshi Umehara was born in Miyagi Prefecture in Tōhoku and graduated from the philosophical faculty of Kyoto University in 1948. He taught philosophy at Ritsumeikan University and was subsequently appointed president of the Kyoto City University of Arts. H ...

(born 1925). Scholar of Japanese cultural studies.

2000s

2000

Ryōji Noyori is a Japanese chemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001, Noyori shared a half of the prize with William S. Knowles for the study of chirally catalyzed hydrogenations; the second half of the prize went to K. Barry Sharpless for his st ...

. Nobel Prize-winning chemist."Nobel chemist to get Order of Culture"
, ''Japan Times Online'', 25 October 2000. *

Hideki Shirakawa is a Japanese chemist, engineer, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba and Zhejiang University. He is best known for his discovery of conductive polymers. He was co-recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Alan Ma ...

. Nobel Prize-winning chemist. *

Isuzu Yamada was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Under her mother ...

. Actress.

2001

Chie Nakane was a Japanese anthropologist and Professor Emerita of Social Anthropology at the University of Tokyo. Education and career Nakane was born in Tokyo and spent her teenage years in Beijing. She graduated from Tsuda College in 1947 and then comp ...

. Social anthropologist."Five pioneers to receive Order of Culture awards"
, ''Japan Times Online'', October 31, 2001. *

Toshio Yodoi was a Japanese sculptor, a pioneer of Japanese modern and contemporary arts. In 1994, he was officially recognized by the Japanese government as a "Person of Cultural Merit;" and in 2001, the Order of Culture was conferred.International Art ...

(1911–2005). Sculptor.

2002

* Kyōhei Fujita (1921–2004). Glass artist."Emperor honors six in culture, science"
, ''Japan Times Online'', November 4, 2002. *

Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Children of Hiroshima'', ''The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', ''Kuroneko'' an ...

. Film director. * Kōichi Tanaka. Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

2003

Kazuhiko Nishijima (4 October 1926 – 15 February 2009) was a Japanese physicist who made significant contributions to particle physics. He was professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University until his death in 2009. He was born in Tsuchiur ...

(1926–2009). Physicist."Ogata, Ooka and others to receive Order of Culture"
, ''Japan Times Online'', October 29, 2003. *

Sadako Ogata , was a Japanese academic, diplomat, author, administrator, and professor emerita at the Roman Catholic Sophia University. She was widely known as the head of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 1991 to ...

. Political scientist and diplomat. *

Makoto Ōoka Welcome to Japanese Poetry
Poetry International, 20 ...

. Poet and literary critic.

2004

* Yōji Totsuka (1942–2008). Physicist."Seal engraver, kabuki actor among honored cultural contributors"
, ''Forum Japon'', October 29, 2004. * Nakamura Jakuemon, Kabuki actor. * Toan Kobayashi, Seal carver. * Shizuka Shirakawa, Scholar of Chinese-language literature. * Horin Fukuoji, Nihonga painter.

2005

Mitsuko Mori , real name , was a Japanese actress. Background In May 2009, she became the first actor in Japan to have performed the stage play 2,000 times. She was born in Kyoto, Japan. On May 11, 2009, Takeo Kawamura announced that Mori would be awarded ...

. Actress."Five honored with Order of Culture"
, ''Japan Times Online'', November 4, 2005. * Makoto Saitō (1921–2008). Political scientist, specializing in American diplomatic and political history. * Ryuzan Aoki, Ceramic artist. * Toshio Sawada, Civil engineer. *

Shigeaki Hinohara was a Japanese physician. In 1941 he began his long working association with St. Luke's International Hospital in central Tokyo and worked as a medical doctor throughout the wartime firebombing of the city. From 1990 he served as the hospital's ...

, Doctor.

2006

Yoshiaki Arata was a Japanese physicist. Arata was one of the pioneering researchers into nuclear fusion in Japan and a former professor at Osaka University. He was reported to be a strong nationalist, speaking only Japanese in public. He received the Order o ...

. A pioneer of

nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles ( neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manife ...

research. * Jakuchō Setouchi. Writer/Buddhist nun."Writing nun gets culture award"
, Japan Times Weekly Online, November 11, 2006. *

Hidekazu Yoshida was a Japanese music critic and literary critic, active in Shōwa and Heisei Japan. Biography Yoshida was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. From an early age, he was interested in languages, and joined in club activities involving English and German ...

. Music critic. * Chusaku Oyama, Nihonga painter. * Miyohei Shinohara, Economist.

2007

Akira Mikazuki was a former justice minister of Japan and Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University. He was a leading figure in civil procedure scholarship. Career Mikazuki was an attorney and law professor. He was a member of the Arbitration Law Study Group who ...

. Former justice minister and professor emeritus. *

Shinya Nakamura is a professional Go player. Biography Nakamura became a professional in 1991. He reached 8 dan, in 2001 and is currently 9 dan. Nakamura was taught by Yorimoto Yamashita. In 1996, Nakamura lost in the Shinjin-O final to future Honinbō S ...

. Sculptor."Kyogen actor, four others accept top culture awards"
, ''Japan Times Online'', November 4, 2007. * Kōji Nakanishi. Organic chemist. * Tokindo Okada, Developmental biologist. * Shigeyama Sensaku, Kyogen performer.

2008

Hironoshin Furuhashi was a Japanese Olympic freestyle swimmer. In 1948, he set world records in the 400 and 1,500 meter freestyles at the Japan national championships. Furuhashi and Japan were not allowed to compete at the 1948 Summer Olympics because of Japan's ro ...

(1928–2009). Sportsman and sports bureaucrat."Gov't decorates 3 Nobel winners, Seiji Ozawa, Donald Keene, 3 others"
''Japan Today'', October 29, 2008. *

Kiyoshi Itō Kiyoshi, (きよし or キヨシ), is a Japanese given name, also spelled Kyoshi. Possible meanings *'' Kyōshi'', a form of Japanese poetry *Kyōshi, a Japanese honorific Possible writings *清, "cleanse" *淳, "pure" *潔, "undefiled" *清志, ...

. A mathematician whose work is now called Itō calculus.Honor awarded 2008 -- "Donald Keene, 7 others win Order of Culture," ''Yomiuri Shimbun.'' October 29, 2008. *

Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japane ...

. A

Japanologist Japanese studies ( Japanese: ) or Japan studies (sometimes Japanology in Europe), is a sub-field of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on Japan. It incorporates fields such as the study of Japanes ...

, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. * Makoto Kobayashi. A physicist who was awarded the 2008

in Physics. * Toshihide Masukawa. A theoretical physicist who was awarded the 2008

in Physics. * Seiji Ozawa. A conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. *

Osamu Shimomura was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist, and Professor Emeritus at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Boston University School of Medicine. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for th ...

. An organic chemist and marine biologist who was awarded the 2008

in Chemistry. *

Seiko Tanabe was a Japanese author. She graduated from the Department of Japanese Literature of Shōin Joshi Senmon Gakkō (now Osaka Shoin Women's University). Author of numerous novels, she won the Akutagawa Prize, Yomiuri Prize, and Asahi Prize, and rece ...

. Author.

2009

Sumio Iijima is a Japanese physicist and inventor, often cited as the inventor of carbon nanotubes. Although carbon nanotubes had been observed prior to his "invention", Iijima's 1991 paper generated unprecedented interest in the carbon nanostructures and ...

. Physicist."Beicho, Tojuro among 5 recipients of year's top culture award"
, ''Seek Japan'', October 27, 2009. * Tōjūrō Sakata IV.

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

actor. * Katsura Beicho, Rakugo performer. *

Akira Hayami Akira Hayami (速水融）(1929–2019) was an emeritus professor of Keio University and the first to introduce historical demography in Japan. Professor Hayami is also famous for coining the concept called "Industrious Revolution",which points ou ...

, Economist, Historian. * Yorio Hinuma, Virologist.

2010s

2010

* Tadao Ando. Architect."Nobelists Suzuki, Negishi get Order of Culture,"
''Japan Times''. October 27, 2010, retrieved 2011-04-20. *

Akito Arima was a Japanese nuclear physicist and politician, known for the interacting boson model. Personal life Arima was born 1930 in Osaka. He studied at the University of Tokyo, where he received his doctorate in 1958. He became a research associate at ...

. Nuclear physicist. * Issei Miyake. Fashion designer. * Eiichi Negishi. Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate. *

Yukio Ninagawa was a Japanese theatre director, actor and film director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of Shakespeare plays and Greek tragedies. He directed eight distinct renditions of ''Hamlet.'' Ninagawa was also emeritus of the ...

. Stage director. * Akira Suzuki. Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate. * Haruko Wakita. Medieval historian.

2011

Isamu Akasaki was a Japanese engineer and physicist, specializing in the field of semiconductor technology and Nobel Prize laureate, best known for inventing the bright gallium nitride ( GaN) p-n junction blue LED in 1989 and subsequently the high-brightness ...

, Engineer. * Ohi Chozaemon, potter. *

Saiichi Maruya was a Japanese author and literary critic. Biography Maruya, whose real name was Saiichi Nemura, was born in Tsuruoka city, Yamagata Prefecture on August 27, 1925. His father was a doctor, and apparently wealthy enough to have a big personal l ...

, Author. * Taichiro Mitani, Political and history scholar. * Mitsuhiro Yanagida, Molecular biologist.

2012

* Shigeru Oda, Jurist, a judge on the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

from 1976 to 2003. *

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

, Film Director. *

Shinya Yamanaka is a Japanese stem cell researcher and a Nobel Prize laureate. He serves as the director of Center for iPS Cell (induced Pluripotent Stem Cell) Research and Application and a professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyo ...

, Physiology Nobel Prize laureate, biologist. * Shuji Takashina, art critic. * Toshio Matsuo, nihonga painter. * Yashuyuki Yamada, agronomist.

2013

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize ...

, noted Japanese actor. *

Susumu Nakanishi is a scholar of Japanese literature, particularly of the ''Man'yōshū''. Overview He is the honorary president of the Nara Prefecture Complex of Manyo Culture, president of the Koshinokuni Museum of Literature, and has been a guest lecture ...

, noted scholar of Japanese literature. * Shunichi Iwasaki, noted scholar of electrical engineering. * Seikaku Takagi, noted Japanese calligrapher. *

Tasuku Honjo is a Japanese physician-scientist and immunologist. He won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and is best known for his identification of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). He is also known for his molecular identification o ...

, noted immunologist

2014

Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese physicist, engineer and inventor specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. For his work he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura for "the invention of efficient bl ...

, Physics Nobel Prize laureate in 2014. *

Shuji Nakamura is a Japanese-born American electronic engineer and inventor specializing in the field of semiconductor technology, professor at the Materials Department of the College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and is rega ...

, Physics Nobel Prize laureate in 2014. *

Takemoto Sumitayu Takemoto (written: , , or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese playwright and puppet theatre director * Iwao Takamoto (1925–2007), American animator, television producer, and fil ...

, narrator of Japanese bunraku, also known as a “ningyo joruri” (puppet theater). *

Taeko Kōno Taeko is a Japanese female given name. It can have various meanings depending on the Kanji used. Possible writing include: 妙子 "mysterious child" 多恵子 "many blessings, child" People * Taeko Fukao, Japanese jazz singer * Taeko Hattori (b ...

, writer and critic and is considered one of the most important contemporary writers of modern Japanese literature. * Toyoki Kunitake, researcher in molecular architecture. *

Takashi Negishi is a Japanese neo- Walrasian economist. Career Negishi graduated Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo in 1956 and received a PhD in Economics from University of Tokyo in 1963. Contributions Negishi's research has provided a wide range of e ...

, economist. * Gyoji Nomiyama, Western-style painter.

2020s

2021

* Syukuro Manabe. Nobel Prize winning climatologist. *

Shigeo Nagashima is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager. Biography Nagashima played baseball at his local high school, and on the Rikkyo University baseball team from 1954–1957. He joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1958. His jersey number ...

. noted former Japanese baseball player. * Onoe Kikugoro VII. Kabuki actor. *

Tsuneko Okazaki is a Japanese pioneer of molecular biology known for her work on DNA replication and specifically for discovering Okazaki fragments, along with her husband Reiji. Dr. Tsuneko Okazaki has continued to be involved in academia, contributing to m ...

. Molecular biology researcher. * Hirohiko Okano. Japanese tanka poet. * Junzo Kawada. Anthropologist. * Koji Kinutani. Painter. *

Shigefumi Mori is a Japanese mathematician, known for his work in algebraic geometry, particularly in relation to the classification of three-folds. Career Mori completed his Ph.D. titled "The Endomorphism Rings of Some Abelian Varieties" under Masayoshi Naga ...

. Mathematician. *

Asami Maki is a feminine Japanese given name which can also be used as a surname. Possible writings Asami can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *麻美, "hemp, beauty" *朝美, "morning, beauty" *朝海, "morning, ...

. Ballet dancer.

Known to have declined the honor

Kenzaburō Ōe is a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues, i ...

, 1994 Nobel laureate and critic of the Japanese Imperial system. *

Haruko Sugimura was a Japanese stage and film actress, best known for her appearances in the films of Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Biography Sugimura was born in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. After the death of her parents, ...

, actress.

Notes

References

* Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). ''Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States.'' San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America.

External links

* Japan, Cabinet Office
Decorations and Medals
** Decoration Bureau

*

Japan Mint The is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. The Japan Mint does not ...

Production Process
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture, Order of Awards established in 1937 Orders, decorations, and medals of Japan *