Japan Recognizes 3,987 People in Autumn Honors

Tokyo, Nov. 3 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government announced on Sunday a list of 3,987 people recognized for this year's autumn honors, including Nobuaki Koga, former president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, and former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa.

Koga, 72, and Ozawa, 70, received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Koga headed Rengo from 2009 to 2015. During his term, Koga led the labor union movement in Japan as head of the largest support organization for the former Democratic Party of Japan, the ruling party at the time. Ozawa assumed the post of environment minister in then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's cabinet of the DPJ in 2009.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star was given to ballet dancer Yoko Morishita, 75.

Since becoming the first Japanese to win the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition, one of the world's three most prestigious ballet competitions, in 1974, Morishita has been known as a pioneer who paved the way for Japanese ballet dancers to enter the world stage. She is still active as a dancer herself to this day.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]