Ichiro Akiyama, the first director of the inspection arm of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, was among those honored when the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo this month.
Akiyama was the chief inspector of the 16-year-old global chemical arms watchdog for a total of 10 years.
"I had believed the organization would receive the Nobel Peace Prize someday," the 64-year-old former Ground Self-Defense Force officer said in a recent interview.