New Delhi: Japan has selected former union minister for Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar for this year’s Spring Imperial Decorations, for his contribution to strengthening of the bilateral ties and promotion of friendship between Tokyo and New Delhi.
Kumar will be conferred with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest category of decorations among the Orders of the Rising Sun, in recognition of distinguished accomplishments of individuals.
The Presentation Ceremony for the Investiture of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on May 9.
Ashwani Kumar served as the Special Envoy of former prime minister Manmohan Singh to Japan on the occasion of the visit of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan to India in December, 2013, and significantly contributed to the success of the visit. He was the Accompanying Minister to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when he visited India in 2007, and was Chairman of FICCI India- Japan Forum of Parliamentarians established during the visit of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to India in 2005.
Industrialist Ratan Tata was one of the other Indian recipients of the Decoration in the past. (ANI)