JAPAN

Former U.S. defense chief Leon Panetta among 136 to be decorated by Japan for efforts on improving relations

Veteran photographer Takeyoshi Tanuma, 90, delivers a speech Sunday at the Imperial Palace as he and five other people, including Nobel chemistry laureate Akira Yoshino (second from right), 71, are granted the Order of Culture. | KYODO

Kyodo

Nov 3, 2019

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian are among 136 people to be recognized in this year's autumn decorations for notable contributions to relations with Japan, the government said Sunday.

The foreign recipients, hailing from 65 countries and Taiwan, include James Zumwalt, the former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Japan.

Panetta, 81, and Le Drian, 72, will receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Zumwalt, 63, will be bestowed with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

Former U.S. defense chief Leon Panetta among 136 to be decorated by Japan for efforts on improving relations

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