Gov't grants decorations to 4,083 people including 62 foreigners+

TOKYO, April 29 Kyodo -
The government released a list Thursday of recipients of this year's spring
decorations, comprising 4,021 Japanese and 62 foreign nationals, for their
contributions to the nation and the public in politics, business, culture and
the arts.
Niro Shimada, 71, former chief justice of the Supreme Court, and former House
of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, 83, will receive the Grand Cordon
of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, the highest honor in this spring's
commemoration.
Renowned playwright So Kuramoto, 75, whose real name is Kaoru Yamaya, and comic
writer Takao Saito, 73, who created the popular Golgo 13 series, were among the
recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.
The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be given to nine people
including former Defense Agency chief Kazuo Aichi, 72, and former farm minister
Takehiko Endo, 71.
The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure will go to Tsutomu
Sugiura, 70, former chief of the Board of Audit, and Fukumaru Tani, 71, former
secretary general of the House of Representatives.
Among the 62 foreign recipients from 35 countries, former U.S. House of
Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, 68, who is well-versed in Japan, will
be honored with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, while five
members of American rock band The Ventures, including Don Wilson, 77, will
receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.
Among Japanese, 876 will receive the Order of the Rising Sun and 3,143 will be
given the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Of the 4,021 Japanese recipients, 357 are women, or about 8.9 percent of the
total, while 1,641, or 40.8 percent, come from the private sector.
In the arts field, film director Daisaku Kimura, 70, and children's literature
author Satoru Sato, 82, will also receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold
Rays with Rosette.
Honor recipients in the academic field include Morio Takeshita, 77, an
authority in the code of civil procedure and professor emeritus at Hitotsubashi
University, will be bestowed the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver
Star.
Other recipients include Kyoko Kaba, 62, a counselor who worked for more than
30 years at rehabilitation facilities for the mentally retarded who will
receive the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays.
A ceremony will be held May 7 to present the top decorations at the Imperial
Palace in Tokyo in the presence of Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama.
==Kyodo
2010-04-29 21:07:19