The Land of the Rising Sun
Japan awards four Ukrainians for contributing to bilateral relations
This year Ukraine and Japan mark the 20th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. The Japanese embassy in Kyiv has staged a number of cultural projects in various Ukrainian cities during the year, and finally awarded those responsible for this effective cooperation.
Mykhailo Zgurovsky, rector of the KPI Kyiv National Technical University, was conferred the Gold and Silver Stars of the Order of the Rising Sun. Taras Shevchenko National University professors Ivan Bondarenko (Institute of Philology) and Borys Yatsenko (Geography Faculty) received Gold and Silver Rays [Order of the Rising Sun, 5th Class. – Ed.]. The Adjunct Professor of the Institute of Humanitarian and Social Sciences, Lviv Polytechnic Institute, was conferred Gold Rays with Rosette [Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class].
Valerii Andrusiak, deputy head, Fourth Territorial Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said that Japan has awarded 46 foreigners this year, including four Ukrainian nationals, and that the cooperation between Ukraine and Japan has been especially effective in 2012.
Previously the only Ukrainian recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun was Ivan Dziub, who received it for his translations of Japanese authors.
Toichi Sakata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine, noted that the awarding of four persons at the same time is a meaningful and joyous event. He went on to say that the Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875, but that it received its current traditional status in 1964. Since then the award ceremony has been held twice a year, in the fall and in spring. These awards were signed and sealed by the Emperor of Japan last month.
Sakata told The Day: “The relationships between Ukraine and Japan are on an active upward curve. We have accomplished a number of joint projects. Apart from the cultural sphere, we have been active in the economic domain, launching D Terminal at Boryspil Airport toward the end of May (jointly with Japanese businesses that invested 190 million dollars). I regard this as commendable progress… In August, we signed an agreement on the upgrading of Ukraine’s police patrol car pool, providing for the purchase of more than 20,000 vehicles, with over a thousand Toyota Hybrid Models. Another major agreement, signed in October, is about the upgrading of Kyiv Metro rolling stock, replacing 100 of your 750 trains with energy-saving systems.”
The Ukrainian recipients of the prestigious Japanese awards expressed their gratitude to the Japanese government and stressed that both countries had a lot in common, even if being located hundreds of thousands of miles apart.
Mykhailo Zgurovsky said that Japanese, like Ukrainians, are peace-loving, talented, and hardworking people; that Ukrainians are fond of Japanese cuisine, martial arts, ikebana and origami; that Ukraine can understand Japan, and vice versa, following the Fukushima, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chornobyl nuclear tragedies.
Borys Yatsenko said the 21st century marks a period of active translations of Japanese authors like Kobo Abe and Haruki Murakami, that the younger Ukrainian generation loves Japanese anime, and that this helps draw both cultures closer together.
