The is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese Order

Order (decoration)

An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...

, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance). It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit (hosho). A European counterpart of the order would be the Order of the British Empire

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

.

Originally a male-only decoration, the order has been made available to women since 1919; it is awarded for both civil and military merit, though of a lesser degree than that required for the conferment of the Order of the Rising Sun

Order of the Rising Sun

The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...

. Unlike its Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously.

Classes

The Order can be awarded in any of these eight classes. Conventionally, a diploma is prepared to accompany the insignia of the order, and in some rare instances, the personal signature of the emperor will have been added. As an illustration of the wording of the text, a translation of a representative 1929 diploma says:

"By the grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

, seated on the throne occupied by the same dynasty from time immemorial,

We confer the Second Class of the Imperial Order of Meiji upon Henry Waters Taft

Henry W. Taft

Henry Waters Taft was the son of Alphonso and brother of President William Howard Taft.-Biography:He graduated from Yale in 1880 with a BA, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and commencement orator of the class of 1880. Taft also studied at Cincinnati and Columbia Law Schools...

, a citizen of the United States of America and a director of the Japan Society of New York, and invest him with the insignia of the same class of the Order of the Double Rays of the Rising Sun

Order of the Rising Sun

The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...

, in expression of the good will which we entertain towards him.

"In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hand and caused the Grand Seal of the Empire

Imperial Seal of Japan

The Imperial Seal of Japan is a mon or crest used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. Under the Meiji Constitution, no one was permitted to use the Imperial Seal except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16 petal chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the...

 to be affixed at the Imperial Palace

Kokyo

is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda area of Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains several buildings including the main palace , the emperor left Kyoto Imperial Palace for Tokyo...

, Tokio

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, this thirteenth day of the fifth month of the fourth year of Shōwa

Showa period

The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...

, corresponding to the 2,589th year from the accession to the throne of Emperor Jimmu

Emperor Jimmu

was the first Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is also known as Kamuyamato Iwarebiko and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto or Sano no Mikoto....

."

The insignia

Insignia

Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...

 of the order incorporates symbols for the three imperial treasures

Imperial Regalia of Japan

The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword Kusanagi , the mirror Yata no Kagami , and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama...

: the Yata Mirror

Yata no kagami

is a sacred mirror that is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It is said to be housed in Ise Shrine in Mie prefecture, Japan, although a lack of public access makes this difficult to verify. The Yata no Kagami represents "wisdom" or "honesty," depending on the source. Its name literally means...

, so sacred that not even the Emperor is allowed to look at it; the Yasakani Jewel, which is made of the finest jade

Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...

; and the Emperor's personal Sword

Kusanagi

is a legendary Japanese sword and one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi .-Legends:...

.

The badge for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes is a Maltese cross

Maltese cross

The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...

, in gilt

Gilding

The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...

 (1st, 3rd and 4th classes), gilt and silver (5th class) and silver (6th class), with white enameled rays (representing the sword). The central disc is blue, bearing an eight-pointed silver star (representing the mirror), surrounded by a wreath with red-enameled dots (representing the jewel). The badge is suspended on a ribbon in light blue with a yellow stripe near the border, worn as a sash on the right shoulder by the 1st class, as a necklet by males of the 3rd class, on the left chest (the ribbon folded into a triangle) by the 4th to 6th classes (with a rosette

Rosette (decoration)

A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan...

 for the 4th class). For females of the 3rd to 6th classes, the ribbon is a bow worn on the left shoulder (with a rosette

Rosette (decoration)

A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan...

 for the 4th class).

The star for the first and second classes is similar to the badge as described above, but effectively with two sets of Maltese cross, one in gilt

Gilding

The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...

 and one placed diagonally in silver. It is worn on the left chest by the 1st class, on the right chest (without any other insignia) by the 2nd class.

The badge of the seventh and eighth classes is an eight-pointed silver medal, partially gilded

Gilding

The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...

 for the 7th class, with representations of just the mirror and the jewel. The badge is suspended on a ribbon, again in light blue with a yellow stripe near the border, worn by men on the left chest (the ribbon folded into a triangle). For women, the ribbon is a bow worn on the left shoulder.

After the 2003 reform

In 2003 the lowest two classes of the Order were abolished. Moreover, the badges of the Order will from now on be suspended from three white-enamelled paulownia

Paulownia

Paulownia is a genus of from 6 to 17 species of plants in the monogeneric family Paulowniaceae, related to and sometimes included in the Scrophulariaceae. They are native to much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam, and long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea...

 leaves (not chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...

 leaves as the Decoration Bureau page claims).

1st class, Grand Cordon

• Otto Abetz
  Otto Abetz
  Dr. Heinrich Otto Abetz was the German ambassador to Vichy France during World War II.-Early years:Abetz was born in Schwetzingen on May 26, 1903. He was the son of an estate manager, who died when Otto was only 13...
  
  
• Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
  Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
  Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
  
  , 1981
• Daniel Boorstin, 1986
• Avery Brundage
  Avery Brundage
  Avery Brundage was an American amateur athlete, sports official, art collector, and philanthropist. Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics and was the US national all-around athlete in 1914, 1916 and 1918...
  
  
• Hugh Cortazzi
  Hugh Cortazzi
  Sir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, GCMG is a British diplomat. Best known as Hugh Cortazzi, he is also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist...
  
  , 1995
• Takuma Dan, 1932
• Henry Willard Denison
  Henry Willard Denison
  Henry Willard Denison was an American diplomat and lawyer, active in Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Denison was born in Guildhall, Vermont, and spent his early years at Lancaster, New Hampshire...
  
  ,
• Milton Friedman
  Milton Friedman
  Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
  
  
• Daniel Hays, 2000
• Norio Ohga
  Norio Ohga
  , otherwise spelled Norio Oga, was the former president and chairman of Sony Corporation, credited with spurring the development of the compact disc as a commercially viable audio format.-Early career:...
  
  , 2001
• James McNaughton Hester
  James McNaughton Hester
  James McNaughton Hester, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized educator, born 19 April 1924, in Chester, Pennsylvania. Hester spent his boyhood at various stations to which his father, a United States Navy Chaplain, was assigned, including Hawaii and Samoa...
  
  , 1981

• Masaru Ibuka
  Masaru Ibuka
  Masaru Ibuka was a Japanese electronics industrialist. He co-founded what is now Sony....
  
   (1908–1997)
• Umezawa Michiharu
  Umezawa Michiharu
  -External links:* - Notes :...
  
  , 1914
• Kokichi Mikimoto
  Kokichi Mikimoto
  was a Japanese entrepreneur and adopter of the Mise/Nishikawa technique for production of synthetic cultured pearls.-Early life:Born as the first son of an udon shop owner in Toba, Shima Province , Mikimoto left school at the age of 13 and sold vegetables to support his family...
  
  , 1954
• Akio Morita
  Akio Morita
  Akio Morita KBE was a Japanese businessman and co-founder of Sony Corporation along with Masaru Ibuka.-Early life:...
  
  , 1991
• Nakamura Utaemon VI
  Nakamura Utaemon VI
  was a Japanese kabuki performer and an artistic director of the Kabuki-za in Tokyo. He was a prominent member of a family of kabuki actors from the Keihanshin region....
  
  , 1996
• Henry Francis Oliver (1865–1965)
• Radhabinod Pal, 1966
• Peter Parker
  Peter Parker (British businessman)
  Sir Peter Parker KBE LVO was a British businessman, best known as chairman of the British Railways Board from 1976 to 1983.-Early life:...
  
  , 1991

• Julian Ridsdale
  Julian Ridsdale
  Sir Julian Errington Ridsdale, CBE was a British National Liberal and later Conservative Party politician and long-serving Member of Parliament for the constituency of Harwich in Essex...
  
   (1915–2004)
• Shoichiro Toyoda
  Shoichiro Toyoda
  is a Japanese business leader, serving as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation between 1992–1999 and also serving as chairman of the powerful , beginning in May 1994 through May 1998.- Family tree :...
  
  , 1995
• Hugh Trenchard
  Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
  
  , 1921

2nd class, Gold and Silver Star

• Herbert W. Armstrong
  Herbert W. Armstrong
  Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon...
  
   (1892–1986)
• W. Edwards Deming
  W. Edwards Deming
  William Edwards Deming was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer and consultant. He is perhaps best known for his work in Japan...
  
   (1900–1993)
• Kaoru Ishikawa
  Kaoru Ishikawa
  was a Japanese university professor and influential quality management innovator best known in North America for the Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram that is used in the analysis of industrial process.- Biography :...
  
   (1915–1989)
• Joseph M. Juran
  Joseph M. Juran
  Joseph Moses Juran was a 20th century management consultant who is principally remembered as an evangelist for quality and quality management, writing several influential books on those subjects. He was the brother of Academy Award winner Nathan H...
  
   (1904–2008)
• Bernard Leach
  Bernard Leach
  Bernard Howell Leach, CBE, CH , was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery"-Biography:...
  
   (1887–1979)
• Yuet Keung Kan
  Yuet Keung Kan
  Sir Yuet-keung Kan, GBE, Kt, JP is a retired Hong Kong banker, politician and lawyer who was successively appointed Senior Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council in the 1960s and 1970s...
  
   (1913)
• Richard W. Pound, 1998

• Johannis de Rijke
  Johannis de Rijke
  Johannis de Rijke was a Dutch civil engineer and a foreign advisor to the Japanese government in Meiji period Japan.-Early life:...
  
  , 1903
• Sakıp Sabancı
  Sakip Sabanci
  Sakıp Sabancı was a prominent Turkish business tycoon and philanthropist.Born as the second son of a cotton trader, he worked in all the ranks of his father's business without completing high school. He was the head of Turkey's largest business conglomerate and 147th richest man on the Forbes list...
  
   (1993–2004)
• Jacob Schiff
  Jacob Schiff
  Jacob Henry Schiff, born Jakob Heinrich Schiff was a German-born Jewish American banker and philanthropist, who helped finance, among many other things, the Japanese military efforts against Tsarist Russia in the Russo-Japanese War.From his base on Wall Street, he was the foremost Jewish leader...
  
   (1847–1920)
• Henry W. Taft
  Henry W. Taft
  Henry Waters Taft was the son of Alphonso and brother of President William Howard Taft.-Biography:He graduated from Yale in 1880 with a BA, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and commencement orator of the class of 1880. Taft also studied at Cincinnati and Columbia Law Schools...
  
   (1859–1945)
• Ichimatsu Tanaka
  Ichimatsu Tanaka
  was a prominent Japanese academic, an art historian, curator, editor, and sometime public servant who specialized in the history of Japanese art. He was born in .-Education:...
  
   (1895–1983)
• Akira Toriyama
  Akira Toriyama (ophthalmologist)
  was a Japanese opthalmologist who rose to become president of Showa University; he was also an exhibited and published amateur photographer.-Biography and medical career:...
  
   (1898–1994)
• Eugene P. Wilkinson
  Eugene P. Wilkinson
  Eugene P. "Dennis" Wilkinson was a United States Naval officer who was selected for three historic command assignments. The first, in 1954, was as the first Commanding Officer of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine...
  
  

3rd class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon

• Frank Shozo Baba
  Frank Shozo Baba
  Frank Shōzō Baba was a Japanese American Nisei and worked for broadcasting during World War II in United States and post war in Japan. He spent twelve years in Japan, from the age of 6 months, 6 years from age 29, and 4 and half years from age 46...
  
   (1915–2008)
• Robert Günther
  Robert Gunther
  Robert Theodore Gunther was a historian of science, zoologist, and founder of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford....
  
  , 1929
• Samuel Hill
  Samuel Hill
  Samuel Hill , usually known as Sam Hill, was a businessman, lawyer, railroad executive and advocate of good roads in the Pacific Northwest...
  
  , 1922
• Frederick J. Horne
  Frederick J. Horne
  Admiral Frederick Joseph Horne was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. As the first Vice Chief of Naval Operations, he directed all Navy logistics during World War II.-Early career:...
  
  , 1919
• Akira Ifukube
  Akira Ifukube
  was a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
  
   (1914–2006)
• Gheorghe Bagulescu
  Gheorghe Bagulescu
  Gheorghe Bagulescu was a Romanian Major-General during World War II, writer and art collector. He served as Ambassador and Military Attaché to Tokyo from 1934 to 1939...
  
   (1886-1963)
• Miles Wedderburn Lampson (1880–1964)
• Trevor Leggett
  Trevor Leggett
  Trevor Pryce Leggett was a British judo teacher, author, translator, and head of the BBC's Japanese Service for 24 years. He was one of the very first Europeans to study martial arts in Japan. Leggett served in the Ministry of Information during World War II...
  
   (1914–2000)
• Masao Maruyama (1914–1996)
• Genzô Murakami
  Genzo Murakami
  was a Japanese novelist who was born in Korea during its occupation by the Empire of Japan. He is known for his historical novels as well as his influence on Japanese literature following the Second World War....
  
  , 1981
• Isamu Noguchi
  Isamu Noguchi
  was a prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public works, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces,...
  
   (1904–1988)
• Delmer Myers Brown (1909-2011)

• Thomas Noguchi
  Thomas Noguchi
  is a former Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, who served in that position from 1967 to 1982. Known as the "coroner to the stars", he determined the cause of death in many high profile cases. He is most famous for performing autopsies on Marilyn Monroe, Robert F...
  
  , 1999
• Leonard Pronko
  Leonard Pronko
  Leonard C. Pronko is Professor of Theatre and expert on kabuki at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Since 1965, he has directed some twenty kabuki productions in English at the college and elsewhere. In 1970, he was the first non-Japanese to study at the Kabuki Training Program at the...
  
  , 1986
• Eric Gascoigne Robinson
  Eric Gascoigne Robinson
  Rear Admiral Eric Gascoigne Robinson VC, OBE was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
  
   (1882–1965)
• Tadahiro Sekimoto
  Tadahiro Sekimoto
  Tadahiro Sekimoto was a Japanese electronics engineer, a recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honor , chairman of Japan's Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies , and former chairman of the Board of Councilors of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations who served as president and...
  
   (1926–2007)
• Herbert Cyril Thacker
  Herbert Cyril Thacker
  Major-General Herbert Cyril Thacker, CB CMG DSO was a Canadian soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army from 1927 until 1929.-Military career:...
  
   (1870–1953)
• Charles E. Tuttle (1915–1993)
• Masanobu Tsuji (1902–1961)
• Takeo Uesugi
  Takeo Uesugi
  Takeo Uesugi is a Japanese-American landscape architect who designed acclaimed Japanese garden installations. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Kyoto University.- Works :...
  
  , 2010
• Arthur Young
  Arthur Young (policeman)
  Colonel Sir Arthur Edwin Young, KBE, CMG, CVO, KPM was a British police officer. He was Commissioner of Police of the City of London from 1950 to 1971 and was also the first head of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to be styled Chief Constable. Young was instrumental in the creation of the post of...
  
   (1907–1979)
• Elizabeth Gray Vining
  Elizabeth Gray Vining
  Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining , born Elizabeth Janet Gray and also known as Elizabeth Gray Vining, was a professional librarian who tutored Emperor Akihito of Japan in English while he was the crown prince...
  
   (1902–1999)
• Toshiro Mifune
  Toshiro Mifune
  Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
  
  , 1993
• Günther Gumprich
  Günther Gumprich
  Günther Gumprich was a Captain of the German Navy who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
  
  

4th class, Gold Rays with Rosette

• Keiko Fukuda
  Keiko Fukuda
  is the highest-ranked female judo practitioner in history, holding the rank of 9th dan from the Kodokan and the United States Judo Federation , and 10th dan from USA Judo, and is the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo...
  
  , 1990
• Herbert Keppler
  Herbert Keppler
  Herbert „Burt“ Keppler was a photographer, author and journalist. His career spanned 57 years, including 37 at Modern Photography and two decades at Popular Photography...
  
  , 2002
• Hidetaka Nishiyama
  Hidetaka Nishiyama
  was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author, and administrator, and helped to establish the Japan Karate Association. Nishiyama was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate...
  
  , 2000
• Junnosuke Ofusa
  Junnosuke Ofusa
  Junnosuke Ofusa was the first journalist ever to receive Japan's Order of the Sacred Treasure. He was presented with the Fourth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure in a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry for "the service he has rendered in promoting friendly relations between Japan and the United...
  
   (1908–1994)

• Richard Ponsonby-Fane
  Richard Ponsonby-Fane
  Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane was a British academic, author, and Japanologist.-Early years:Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born at Gravesend on the south bank of the Thames in Kent, England...
  
   (1878–1937)
• Shozo Sato
  Shozo Sato
  Shozo Sato, an internationally renowned Japanese master of Zen arts and visionary theatre director, most known for adapting Western classics to Japanese Kabuki theatre....
  
  , 2004
• Oskar Ritter und Edler von Xylander
  Oskar von Xylander
  Oskar Ritter und Edler von Xylander was a Bavarian General der Infanterie, at last commanding the I Royal Bavarian Corps until his retirement in 1918.- Biography :...
  
  
• Serizawa Keisuke
  Serizawa Keisuke
  was a Japanese textile designer. In 1956, he was designated as a Living National Treasure for his katazome stencil dyeing technique by the Japanese government. Serizawa visited Okinawa several times and learned the Ryūkyū bingata techniques of dyeing. Serizawa was also a leading member of the...
  
   (1895–1984)
• Thomas Masuda (1906-1986)
• Masaru Funai, 2001

5th class, Gold and Silver Rays

• George Edward Luckman Gauntlett
  George Edward Luckman Gauntlett
  George Edward Luckman Gauntlett was a Welsh educator.After completing his primary education in his hometown, he went on to Brighton for his secondary education, and to London where he entered a Music College...
  
   (1868–1956)
• Friedrich Hirzebruch
  Friedrich Hirzebruch
  Friedrich Ernst Peter Hirzebruch is a German mathematician, working in the fields of topology, complex manifolds and algebraic geometry, and a leading figure in his generation.-Life:He was born in Hamm, Westphalia...
  
  , 1996

• Chiura Obata
  Chiura Obata
  was a well-known Japanese-American artist. He came to the United States in 1903, at age 17. After initially working as an illustrator and commercial decorator, he had a successful career as a painter, following a 1927 summer spent in the Sierra Nevada, and was a faculty member in the Art Department...
  
   (1885–1975)
• Yoshio Tamiya
  Tamiya Corporation
  is a Japanese manufacturer of plastic model kits, radio controlled cars, battery- and solar-powered educational models, sailboat models, acrylic and enamel model paints, and various modeling tools and supplies...
  
   (1905–1988), 1976
• Thomas Masuda (1906-1986)

Class unknown

• Jackson Bailey
  Jackson Bailey
  Jackson H. Bailey was an American academic who was noted expert in Japanese history, culture, and Japanese-American relations. Bailey was a professor of history at Earlham College from 1959 until his retirement in June 1994....
  
  , 1988
• Faubion Bowers
  Faubion Bowers
  Faubion Bowers was General Douglas MacArthur's personal Japanese language interpreter and aide-de-camp during the Allied Occupation of Japan. He also was a noted academic in the area of Asian Studies.-Biography:...
  
  
• Ernesto Burzagli
  Ernesto Burzagli
  Ernesto Burzagli CB was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Italy during the early 20th century. During a lifetime career in the Italian Royal Navy , he rose to the rank of Admiral and Chief of Staff...
  
   (1873–1944)
• Winfield Scott Chaplin
  Winfield Scott Chaplin
  Winfield Scott Chaplin was the chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1891 until 1907.-Early life:He was born in Maine in 1847 and graduated from West Point in 1870 as a second lieutenant in the Army...
  
   (1847–1918)
• George Ramsay Cook
  George Ramsay Cook
  George Ramsay Cook, OC, FRSC , is a Canadian historian and general editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He was professor of history at York University for 25 years until 1996...
  
  , 1994
• David Culver
  David Culver
  David Michael Culver, is a Canadian businessman and former Chairman and CEO of Alcan Aluminum Limited, from 1979 to 1989....
  
  
• Dorothy DeLay
  Dorothy DeLay
  Dorothy DeLay was an American violin instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School.She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.-Career and education:...
  
  
• Mamadou Diarra
  Mamadou Diarra
  Mamadou Jaya Diarra is a Senegalese football striker who plays for AS Lyon. He previously played in Serbia for FK Teleoptik and FK Bežanija. His older brother is Lamine Diarra, who already plays for Partizan.- References :...
  
  , 1988
• Robert Lawrence Eichelberger
• Anton Geesink
  Anton Geesink
  Antonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion , Olympic Gold Medalist and won 21 European championships...
  
  
• John Whitney Hall
  John Whitney Hall
  John Whitney Hall , the Tokyo-born son of missionaries in Japan, grew up to become a pioneer in the field of Japanese studies and one of the most respected historians of Japan of his generation. His life work was recognized by the Japanese government...
  
  
• Heinrich Hertz
• Marcel Junod
  Marcel Junod
  Marcel Junod was a Swiss doctor and one of the most accomplished field delegates in the history of the International Committee of the Red Cross...
  
  , 1961
• Kume Kunitake
  Kume Kunitake
  was a historian in Meiji and Taishō period Japan. He had a son, Kume Keiichirō, who was a noted painter.-Biography:Kume was born in Saga Domain, Hizen , and was active in attempting to assist the administrative reform of Saga domain during the Bakumatsu period.After the Meiji Restoration, he was...
  
  , 1889
• Tokubei Kuroda
  Tokubei Kuroda
  was a Japanese scientist and academic. He is best known as a pioneering taxonomist and malacologist in Japanese coastal waters.Kuroda was born at Fukurea on the island of Awaji....
  
   (1886–1987)
• Takahira Kogoro
  Takahira Kogoro
  Baron was a Japanese diplomat and ambassador to the United States from 1900 to 1909.-Biography:Takahira was born in what is now Ichinoseki city, Iwate prefecture. From relatively modest beginnings, Takahira was to become a graduate of Kaisei Gakkō .-Career diplomat:In 1876, he joined the Ministry...
  
   (1854–1926)

• Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
  Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
  is an internationally famous Japanese actress, a talk show host, a best-selling author of children book, a World Wide Fund for Nature advisor, and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. She is well-known for her charitable works, and is considered as one of the first Japanese celebrities who achieved...
  
  , 2003
• Toshirō Mifune
  Toshiro Mifune
  Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
  
  , 1993
• William Henry O'Connell
  William Henry O'Connell
  William Henry O'Connell was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911.-Early life:...
  
  
• Lawrence Olson
  Lawrence Olson
  Lawrence Olson was an American historian specializing in Japan who served as the Professor of History at Wesleyan University. In 1987, the Government of Japan honored him with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, the highest honor available to a foreigner, in recognition of his efforts in raising...
  
  , 1987
• Fusakichi Omori
  Fusakichi Omori
  was a pioneer Japanese seismologist, second chairman of seismology at the Imperial University of Tokyo and president of the Japanese Imperial Earthquake Investigation Committee.-Education:...
  
  , 1928
• Jean-Jacques Origas
  Jean-Jacques Origas
  Jean-Jacques Origas was a French academic with expertise in Japanese literature and art. He was a Japanologist, best known more for giving his knowledge to his students rather than for publishing books.-An academic career:...
  
  , 1998
• John Roderick
  John Roderick (correspondent)
  John Roderick was an American journalist and foreign correspondent for the Associated Press news service. Roderick was best known for covering Mao Zedong and other Chinese Communist guerillas while living with them in a cave during the mid-1940s. Roderick continued to cover China throughout the...
  
  , 1985
• Renato Ruggiero
  Renato Ruggiero
  Renato Ruggiero is an Italian politician. He has been director-general of the World Trade Organisation and was briefly the Italian Foreign Minister in 2001.-Biography:...
  
  
• Jack Seaward
  Jack Seaward
  Jack Seaward was a WWII veteran who was assigned to Military Intelligence because he knew some Japanese in 1941 at a time very few American did. After some time in US service in the military and later CIA, he worked with a number of companies and became a prolific writer, some of his 45 books in...
  
  , 1986
• Edmund Charles Wyldbore Smith
  Edmund Charles Wyldbore Smith
  Sir Edmund Charles Wyldbore Smith was a British civil servant, diplomat, and businessman.-Biography:Smith was the son of Reverend Francis Smith , who was the fourth son of the second Smith-Marriott Baronet...
  
   (1877–1938)
• Kenjiro Takayanagi
  Kenjiro Takayanagi
  was a Japanese 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 television".-Career:...
  
  , 1989
• Eiji Tsuburaya
  Eiji Tsuburaya
  was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
  
  , 1970
• Morihei Ueshiba
  Morihei Ueshiba
  was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".-Early years:Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883....
  
   (1883–1969)
• J.R. Wasson (1855–1913)
• Yosh Uchida
  Yosh Uchida
  Yoshihiro "Yosh" Uchida is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and educator who is best known for his contributions to judo...
  
  , 1986
• Yoshikawa Eiji, 1962

External links

• Japan, Cabinet Office: Decorations and Medals; Decoration Bureau: Order of the Sacred Treasure
• Japan Mint
  Japan Mint
  The is an Incorporated Administrative Agency of the Japanese government. This agency has its Head office in Osaka with branches in Tokyo and Hiroshima.-History:...
  
  : Production Process