Japan’s People’s Honor Award Recipients
Society## Honoring Society’s Heroes
Prime Minister Fukuda Takeo in 1977 established the People’s Honor Award to recognize widely respected individuals whose accomplishments have inspired society. It began as a way to celebrate professional baseball player Oh Sadaharu after he broke American slugger Hank Aaron’s career home-run record.
On July 28, 2026, the government decided to make speed skater Takagi Miho the latest recipient of the award. In a long career at the top, she won individual gold in the women’s 1,000-meter competition at the Beijing Olympics in 2022, and amassed 10 Olympic medals in total, which is the most for any female Japanese athlete.
Including Takagi, 28 individuals have received the People’s Honor Award, 12 of whom did so posthumously. In addition, the national women’s soccer team, nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan, became the first group to receive this award in 2011.
- Oh Sadaharu[Baseball player] September 5, 1977
Set new world record with 756 career home runs. - Koga Masao[Composer] August 4, 1978 (Posthumously)
Accomplishments on the Silver Screen. - Hasegawa Kazuo[Actor] April 19, 1984 (Posthumously)
Accomplishments on the Silver Screen. - Uemura Naomi[Adventurer] April 19, 1984 (Posthumously)
Successfully scaled the highest peaks on five continents, among other accomplishments. - Yamashita Yasuhiro[Jūdōka] October 9, 1984
Outstanding career accomplishments in competitive jūdō. - Kinugasa Sachio[Baseball player] June 22, 1987
Surpassed Lou Gehrig’s world record of 2,130 consecutive games played. - Misora Hibari[Singer] July 6, 1989 (Posthumously)
Inspired the nation through her songs. - Chiyonofuji Mitsugu[Sumō wrestler] September 29, 1989
Set record for most career wins. - Fujiyama Ichirō[Singer] May 28, 1992
Gave hope and encouragement to society through his beautifully expressive singing. - Hasegawa Machiko[Mangaka] July 28, 1992 (Posthumously)
Enriched and entertained postwar society through her comic strip and anime- Sazae-san. - Hattori Ryōichi[Composer] February 26, 1993 (Posthumously)
Moved and inspired the public with his pop-music compositions. - Atsumi Kiyoshi[Actor] September 3, 1996 (Posthumously)
Entertained and moved the public with his empathetic performances as Tora-san in the movie series- Otoko wa tsurai yo. - Yoshida Tadashi[Composer] July 7, 1998 (Posthumously)
Created emotionally evocative and inspiring songs with distinct melodies. - Kurosawa Akira[Film director] October 1, 1998 (Posthumously)
Contributed to domestic and international film through his numerous masterpieces. - Takahashi Naoko[Marathon runner] October 30, 2000
Become the first Japanese female track and field gold medalist by winning the 2000 Sydney Olympic women’s marathon. - Endō Minoru[Composer] January 23, 2009 (Posthumously)
Composed countless moving and inspiring popular songs. - Mori Mitsuko[Actor] July 1, 2009
Appeared over 2,000 times in the leading role of the play- Hōrōki(- A Wanderer’s Notebook). - Morishige Hisaya[Actor] December 22, 2009 (Posthumously)
Outstanding career accomplishments. - Nadeshiko Japan (Japan national women’s soccer team)[Soccer team] August 18, 2011
2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions. - Yoshida Saori[Wrestler] November 7, 2012
Wrestling in the 55 kg division, became the first athlete to win 13 consecutive world championships. - Taihō Kōki[Sumō wrestler] February 25, 2013 (Posthumously)
Dominated the sumō world, winning a (then) record 32 tournament. - Nagashima Shigeo[Baseball player and manager] April 1, 2013
Inspired postwar society along with Oh Sadaharu as a superstar of the Yomiuri Giants. - Matsui Hideki[Baseball player] April 1, 2013
Earned the Most Valuable Player award in helping the New York Yankees win the 2009 World Series. - Ichō Kaori[Wrestler] October 20, 2016
Wrestling in the 58 kg freestyle division, became the first female athlete to win individual gold medals at four consecutive Olympics. - Habu Yoshiharu[Shōgi player] February 13, 2018
First person in shōgi history to ever qualify as a lifetime holder of seven major shōgi titles. - Iyama Yūta[Go player] February 13, 2018
First go player to twice hold all seven of the major go titles at the same time. - Hanyū Yuzuru[Figure skater] July 2, 2018
First male figure skater in 66 years to win two consecutive gold medals at Olympic Winter Games. - Kunieda Shingo[Wheelchair tennis player] March 17, 2023
As the leading wheelchair tennis player for many years, he raised the profile of parasports. - Takagi Miho[Speed skater] August 4, 2026
As a top speed skater, won 10 Olympic medals, the highest total for any female Japanese athlete.
(Information current as of July 28, 2026.)
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Takagi Miho after winning the bronze medal in the 1,000-meter speed skating event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. © Jiji.)