JSPS President Receives Order of Merit from German Government

On 6 August 2008, JSPS president Prof. Motoyuki Ono received the “Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany” at a ceremony and reception held in his honor at the German Embassy in Tokyo.

At the ceremony, the German Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Hans-Joachim Daerr, presented the Order of Merit to Prof. Ono. Receiving the award, Prof. Ono expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador and the Government of Germany. He was followed by Prof. Seigo Hirowatari, the University of Tokyo, who offered congratulatory remarks and proposed a toast. The ceremony was attended by some 60 people, including Nobel laureate Dr. Leo Esaki and Prof. Ono’s colleagues and associates from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, research institutions and universities.

The Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is bestowed on individuals in commendation of their outstanding political, economic or societal contributions. This award falls within the German Government’s highest order-of-merit category.

The reason stated for bestowing the award on Prof. Ono was the high appraisal he received for promoting scientific collaboration between Germany and Japan, particularly through his leading role in planning and carrying out a number of symposia and seminars during the “Germany in Japan Year” and his vigorous support in advancing bilateral scientific exchange and implementing a spectrum of joint projects.

In reply, Prof. Ono said the achievements the award represents owe more to JSPS’s long years of cooperation and exchange in science and research between Germany and Japan than whatever he has done as an individual. What warranted this rare honor was, he conjectured, a high appraisal of the excellent relations built up over long years between JSPS and its partner organizations in Germany, particularly the German Research Foundation (DFG), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (MPG), and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH). In other words, he said, the decoration was really conferred upon JSPS as an organization. He promised to give full expression of this honor in strengthening partnership and deepening friendly relations between Japan and Germany.