Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday officially decided to bestow the prestigious People's Honor Award on professional shogi and go champions, making the pair the first board game players to bag the award.
The two — shogi player Yoshiharu Habu and go master Yuta Iyama — will receive the award in a ceremony to be held at the Prime Minister's Office on Feb. 13, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
Habu and Iyama will join a list of esteemed singers, actors and athletes whose historic accomplishments were recognized by past prime ministers.