A total of 761 people will be recognized with various medals this fall, including Kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo and Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, the developer of induced pluripotent stem cells, the government said.
Kanzaburo, 53, Yamanaka, 46, actor Toshiyuki Nishida, 60 and actress Kirin Kiki, 65, are among the 43 recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon for accomplishments in the fields of art, study and sports.
Other recipients of the medal include those who won gold at the Beijing Olympics, such as breaststroker Kosuke Kitajima, 26, and softball player Yukiko Ueno, 26. Pro golfer Isao Aoki, 66, will also get a medal.
The Medal with Green Ribbon for volunteer and social work will go to 18 people and 25 organizations, including 69-year-old guitarist Takeshi Terauchi, who rode Japan's "electric boom" music wave in the 1960s and continues to record and tour.
The recipients of the Medal with Red Ribbon for rescue of human life include Hidenori Kamei, 35, who saved a baby in a stroller that got stuck in a train door at a station in Tokyo in May last year.
The awards will be given to 761 people, including 147 women and 28 organizations, starting Monday.