IOC's Bach, ex-US envoy Hagerty among foreigners decorated in Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan, are among the 107 foreigners recognized in this year's spring decorations for their contributions to Japan, the government said Tuesday.
Bach, a 71-year-old German Olympic champion in fencing, steered the IOC when Japan hosted the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hagerty, 65, was ambassador from 2017 to 2019 during the first administration of President Donald Trump.
Both will receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, 48, hailing from Brazil, is a recipient of the same honor for his contribution to the development of sports in Japan, the government said.
Among those receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, are Randy Bass, 71, former Hanshin Tigers slugger from the United States, and Wim Wenders, 79, the German director of the award-winning film "Perfect Days," which depicted the daily life of a public restroom cleaner in Tokyo.
The foreign recipients, including 17 women, hail from 45 countries and regions. A total of 3,990 individuals will be recognized this spring, with women accounting for 436, or 10.9 percent. A total of 1,888 recipients, or 47.3 percent, are from the private sector.
Among the Japanese recipients, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, 78, and Tadamori Oshima, 78, former speaker of the House of Representatives, will be bestowed with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, the highest honor to be conferred at this spring's commendations.
Novelist Hiroko Minagawa, 95, will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, and Natsuko Toda, 88, who wrote Japanese subtitles for numerous foreign movies including Hollywood titles, will be decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.
Some of the decorations will be conferred by Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on May 9 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
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