Emperor Naruhito confers new orders

Emperor Naruhito has presented the Order of Culture to recipients at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. 

On the occasion of Culture Day today in Japan, Emperor Naruhito presided over the Imperial Conferment Ceremony for the Order of Culture at the Imperial Palace.

This year’s eight recipients include Professor Emeritus Kensō Soai of Tokyo University of Science, who has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

In the Seiden-Matsu-no-Ma State Room, the Emperor said, “I am very pleased that you have made great achievements and contributed to the promotion of culture through many years of hard work.”

Motoko Ishii, Toyoo Ito, Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa, Tetsuya Shiokawa, Shunichi Tokura, as well as Shigekazu Nagata were all present to receive their awards. One recipient was absent: Shigeru Miyamoto, an executive fellow and representative director at game maker Nintendo, who created popular games such as the Super Mario series and The Legend of Zelda, missed the ceremony.