Ash Carter Receives Japan's Order of the Rising Sun Award

The Government of Japan has announced that its prestigious Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be awarded to Ashton B. Carter, Belfer Center Director and former Secretary of Defense.  The award recognizes his contributions towards strengthening the relationship between Japan and the United States in the areas of security and defense.

The U.S. Embassy of Japan released the following summary of Secretary Carter’s contributions:

"Former Secretary Ashton B. Carter served as the 25th Secretary of Defense of the United States from 2015 to 2017. As Secretary of Defense, he played an important role in strengthening the Japan-U.S. relationship. He demonstrated a strong leadership to establish the new Guidelines of Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation in 2015 to renew the previous Guidelines in 1997. In addition, he has made outstanding contributions to enhancing the Japan-U.S. Defense Alliance through such dialogues as Japan-U.S. Defense Ministers’ Meeting and Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (2+2)."

The Order of the Rising Sun, established by Emperor Meiji in 1875, was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government.