The is a Japanese order established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. It was the first national decoration instituted by the Japanese government and is awarded to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the state or the public.元統幕議長への瑞宝大綬章は首相指示 Sankei Shinbun. 15 July 2015 It may be conferred on both Japanese and foreign nationals. The insignia depicts a central sun disc surrounded by rays, with paulownia flowers and leaves on its suspension.
The order has six classes. Under reforms introduced in 2003, its seventh and eighth classes were abolished, numerical class designations were replaced by distinctive titles, and eligibility was extended to women.栄典制度の概要. p.6 Cabinet Office (Japan) Its former highest decoration, the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers, became the separate Order of the Paulownia Flowers. Under the current system, the Order of the Rising Sun recognises distinguished achievements, while the Order of the Sacred Treasure principally recognises long and meritorious service in public or public-related roles.勲章の授与基準. Cabinet Office (Japan)
Criteria for awarding
The Order of the Rising Sun is awarded to the following contributions of women, men or other persons;栄典制度の概要. p.10 Cabinet Office (Japan) to the stability and development of the international community. to the realization of appropriate tax payment. to the promotion of school education or social education. to the promotion of culture or sports. to the promotion of science and technology. to the improvement and promotion of social welfare. to the improvement and promotion of the health or public health of citizens. to the improvement of the working environment for workers. to environmental conservation. The same conditions are valid for a person who is engaged in the business of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, commerce, mining, industry, information and communications industry, construction industry, real estate industry, finance and insurance industry, service industry, etc., and has contributed to the public interest by developing the economy and industry. has contributed to the public interest by engaging in the services of an attorney, certified public accountant, patent attorney, etc. contributed to the public interest by engaging in the work of newspapers, broadcasting or other news reporting. is engaged in a public interest business such as Electricity Business, Gas Business, Transportation Business, etc. and has contributed to the promotion of public welfare. A person other than those listed in the preceding items who has contributed to the public interest.
Among them, regulations on the criteria for awarding orders to those who belong to the National Diet, the central and local governments, and courts stipulate in detail which ranks are awarded for each position. For example, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) is awarded to a person who has made outstanding achievements in his/her position as Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the House of Councillors, or Chief Justice of Japan. The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) or the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays (2nd class) are awarded to a person who has made outstanding achievements in his/her position as Minister of State, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Senior Vice-Minister, Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives, Vice President of the House of Councilors, or Judge of the Supreme Court.栄典制度の概要. p.11, p.12 Cabinet Office (Japan)
Classes The Order was awarded in nine classes until 2003, when the Grand Cordon with Paulownia Flowers was made a separate order, and the lowest two classes were abolished. Since then, it has been awarded in six 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:
Insignia The star for the Grand Cordon and Second Class is a silver star of eight points, each point having three alternating silver rays; the central emblem is identical to the badge. It is worn on the left chest for the Grand Cordon and on the right chest for the 2nd Class.
The badge for the Grand Cordon to Sixth Classes is an eight-pointed badge bearing a central red enamelled sun disc, with gilt points (1st–4th Classes), with four gilt and four silver points (5th Class), or with silver points (6th Class); each point comprises three white enamelled rays. It is suspended from three enamelled paulownia leaves (not chrysanthemum leaves as the Decoration Bureau page claims) on a ribbon in white with red border stripes, worn as a sash from the right shoulder for the Grand Cordon, as a necklet for the 2nd and 3rd Classes and on the left chest for the 4th to 6th Classes (with a rosette for the 4th Class).
The badge for the Seventh and Eighth Classes consisted of a silver medal in the shape of three paulownia leaves, enamelled for the 7th Class and plain for the 8th Class. Both were suspended on a ribbon, again in white with red border stripes, and worn on the left chest. Both classes were abolished in 2003 and replaced by the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, a single-class order that now ranks above the Order of the Rising Sun.
Notable recipients
1st Class, Grand Cordon
Tony Abbott (1957–), Former Australian Prime Minister, 2022 Creighton Abrams Aziz Abduhakimov, 2022 Syed Hamid Albar, 2019 Edmund Allenby, 1921 James F. Amos, 2014 Michael Armacost, 2007 Richard Armitage, 2015 Pridi Banomyong (1900–1983)aka Luang Pradist Manudharm Arthur Barrett, 1921London Gazette issue 32428, 19 August 1921 Edmund Barton (1849–1920), Former Australian Prime Minister, 1905Rutledge, Martha. (1979). "Barton, Sir Edmund (1849–1920)," Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, pp 194–200; Scaramouche. "Sir Edmund Barton" Carol Bellamy, 2006Nagashima-Hayashi, Michiko. "Former UNICEF Executive Director receives humanitarian award in Japan," UNICEF web site (2006) Felix von Bendemann, 1906British Library. "Handlist of Japanese Manuscripts Acquired Since 1984," 'Or. 14819 Certificate conferring Order of the Rising Sun on Admiral von Bendemann,' p. 3. Abdelmalek Benhabyles, 2012 Charles Reed Bishop (1822–1915) Dennis C. Blair, 2001 Sepp Blatter, 2009FIFA: Honors, Sepp Blatter Gustave Emile Boissonade (1825–1910), 1909 Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948), 1942 Sydney Brenner (1927–2019), 2017Dr. Sydney Brenner, Former OIST Promotion Corporation President, Receives Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 22 August 2017 Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, 2009 Vincent K. Brooks 2018 Arleigh Burke (1901–1996) Rudolf Burmester (1875–1956) Erwin Bälz (1849–1913), 1905 Ricardo Cabrisas, 2025 George W. Casey Jr. 2010 Krasae Chanawongse, 2004 Dick Cheney, 2018 William J. Crowe, Jr., 1984 Helen Clark, 2017 James Wheeler Davidson (1872–1933), 1896 Kemal Derviş, 2009Former Administrator, UNDP Carlos G. Dominguez (2022), former Philippine Finance Secretary Karl Dönitz, (1891–1980), 1943 Leo Esaki, 1998 Lee Hong Koo, 2014 John Arbuthnot Fisher (1841–1920), 1917 Malcolm Fraser, (1930–2015) Former Australian Prime Minister, 2006 Jerome Isaac Friedman, 2016 Bill Gates (1955–), Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2020Mr. Bill Gates to receive 2020 Spring Decoration from the Government of Japan. Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle Robert Gates, 2017 Thamir Ghadhban, 2016 Julia Gillard (1961–), Former Australian Prime Minister, 2021 David L. Goldfein, 2021 Sir Stephen Gomersall KCMG, 2015 Ralph Gonsalves, 2024 Hermann Göring (1893–1946) António Guterres, 2002 William Hague, 2017 Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (1912–1988), 1982 Sir Edward Heath 1998 Ginandjar Kartasasmita (1941–), 2008 Jusuf Kalla (1942–), 2022 Akbar Tandjung (1945–), 2022 John Hamre, 2016 Kenzaburo Hara (1907–2004), 1996 Harry B. Harris Jr., 2018 Dennis Hastert, 2010 Bob Hawke (1929–2019), Former Australian Prime Minister, 2012 Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), posthumous Musa Hitam, 2018 Soichiro Honda (1906–1991), 1991 John Howard (1939-), Former Australian Prime Minister, 2013 Masaru Ibuka (1908–1997), 1997Kirkup, James. "Obituary: Masaru Ibuka," Independent (London). 22 December 1997. Daniel Inouye, 2000Daniel Inouye, Senate: Awards Henry Jackson (1855–1929)Honor conferred 1917: S. Jayakumar, 2012 Karu Jayasuriya (1940–), 2016 Anerood Jugnauth, 1988Mauritius Consulate, Malta: Anerood Jugnauth Henk Kamp, 2014Foreign honours recipients 2014 - website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Caroline Kennedy (1957–), 2021 Abhakara Kiartivongse, 1900พระราชทานเหรียญดุษฎีมาลา, เล่ม ๑๗,ตอน ๑๘, ๒๙ กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. ๒๔๔๓, หน้า ๒๑๔ Thanom Kittikachorn Bert Koenders, 2014 Komura Jutarō (1855–1911) "The Marquess Komura; A Notable Career," The Times (London). 25 November 1911. Jorge Kosmas Sifaki, 2014 Sir John Kotelawala (1895–1980), 1954 V. Krishnamurthy, 2009 Wataru Kubo, 2001 Ashwani Kumar, 2017 Lee Hsien Loong (1952–), 2025 Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015), 1967 Danzangiin Lündeejantsan (1957-), former Speaker of the Mongolian parliament, 2021 Miroslav Lajčák, 2022 Curtis LeMay (1906–1990) 1964Honor awarded 6 December 1964: LeMay, Curtis E. (1965). Mission with LeMay: My story, p. 466. Queen Liliʻuokalani (1838–1917), 1882Honor awarded 1882: / "The Pacific Commercial Advertiser" (Honolulu). 25 March 1882. Wangari Maathai, 2009Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Japan: Wangari Maathai , 2009. Ibrahim Mabrouk (1873–1959), 1934 Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964), 1960"General Orders, No. 13" . Department of the Army, Headquarters. 6 April 1964. Retrieved 1 March 2010. Sir John Major, 2012 Mike Mansfield, 1990 Baron Yasutake Matsuoka, 1906 Yōsuke Matsuoka, 1940 John McCain, 2018 John McEwen, 1973 Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, 2011 Robert Menzies (1894–1978), Former Australian Prime Minister, 1973Honor awarded 1973: National Archives of Australia Norman Yoshio Mineta (1931–2022), 2007 Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (1955–), 2022 Amina C. Mohamed, 2017 Mahathir Mohamad, 1991 Mustapa Mohamed (1950–), 2024 Ernest Moniz, 2017 Ivan Mrkić, 2018 Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller (1859–1941) A. M. Nair, alias "Nair-San" Marty Natalegawa, 2025 Ben Ngubane, 20102010 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals, Ministary of Foreign Affairs, Government of Japan. Peter Pace, 2007Garamone, Jim. "Pace Receives Japanese Emperor's Rising Sun Award" , American Forces Press Service. 18 August 2007. Leon E. Panetta, 2019 2019 Autumn Conferment of Decoration Secretary Leon E. Panetta Rear Admiral Ali Osman Pasha, 1890 Andrew Peacock, Former Australian politician and diplomat, 20172017 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals , Embassy of Japan in Australia, 3 November 2017 Nancy Pelosi, 2015 William J. Perry, 2002Stamford alumni: William Perry bio ; "4,632 people win awards for contributing to Japan," Japan Times, 3 November 2002. John J. Pershing, 1918 Plaek Phibunsongkhram, 1942 Józef Piłsudski, 1928 Aquilino Pimentel III (2026), former Philippine Senate President Herbert Plumer (1857–1932) Ram Chandra Poudel, 2020 John Roos (1955–), former United States Ambassador to Japan, 2022 Yusuf Abdul Rahim, 1985 Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946), 1937 Condoleezza Rice, 2017 Edward A. Rice Jr. Jay Rockefeller, 2013 Herman Van Rompuy, 2015 Donald Rumsfeld, 2015 Eishiro Saito, in 1992 Saisho Atsushi, 1906 Klaus Schwab, 2013 Abid Sharifov, 2016 Count Paul de Smet de Naeyer, Shoichiro Toyoda, 2002MCADCafé: "Dr.Shoichiro Toyoda To Receive SAE Foundation's 2005 Manufacturing Leadership Award," PR Newswire. 15 March 2005. Chea Sim, 2013 Edward Śmigły-Rydz, (1886–1941) Isamu Takeshita (1869–1949), 1920