Prof. Richard J. Samuels of Massachusetts Institute of Technology receives the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Prof. Richard J. Samuels of Massachusetts Institute of Technology receives the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
On November 3rd, the Japanese Government announced that the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, will be conferred upon Prof. Richard J. Samuels of MIT, in recognition of his significant contributions to scholarship about Japan and for promoting friendly relations between Japan and the United States of America.
Prof. Samuels is currently conducting research in Japan and will receive the decoration from Prime Minister Noda on November 7, 2011, and be presented to the Emperor of Japan at the Imperial Palace.
Prof. Samuels is an expert in Japanese politics and East Asian security affairs. Through his research activities and through teaching the next generations of researchers, he has promoted a better understanding of Japan in the United States. His book, “The Business of the Japanese State – Energy Markets in Comparative and Historical Perspective,” received the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize in 1988. "Rich Nation, Strong Army: National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan” won the John Whitney Hall Book Award of the Association of Asian Studies and the Hiromi Arisawa Prize of the Association of American University Presses in 1996. “Machiavelli’s Children: Leaders and their Legacies in Italy and Japan” received the the Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies in 2003 and the Jervis-Schroeder Prize for International and Historical Studies from the American Political Science Association in 2004. He is one of only three scholars (Japanese or foreign) to have produced more than one scholarly monograph recognized by the Nippon Foundation as one of the top “one hundred books for understanding contemporary Japan.”
In order to cultivate new generations of scientists and engineers who are knowledgeable about Japan, Prof. Samuels created the MIT Japan Program in 1981. He has served as its director since then. The MIT Japan Program has contributed significantly to promoting the understanding of Japanese culture, economy and industry.
From 2001-2007 Prof. Samuels was chairman of the US panel of the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON). In this capacity, he exercised leadership in promoting various activities of the Conference by utilizing his profound experience and knowledge as a Japan scholar. CULCON is a bi-national advisory panel that serves to elevate and strengthen the vital cultural and educational foundations of the US-Japan relationship, and to strengthen connections between US and Japan leaders in many different fields.
As chairman of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) from 2001-2008, Prof. Samuels contributed to the furthering of mutual understanding and cultural exchange between the US and Japan. JUSFC is an independent federal agency that offers grant programs to institutions in order to support the training of Americans to help them better meet the challenges and opportunities in the US-Japan relationship.
The Consulate General of Japan is delighted to congratulate Prof. Samuels on his receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.