2022 Spring Conferment of Decorations
2022/4/28
On April 29, 2022 (Japan Time), the Government of Japan announced the recipients of the 2022 Spring Conferment of Japanese Decorations.
Within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, His Excellency John Victor Roos and Professor T. J. Pempel have been selected for recognition.
Within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, His Excellency John Victor Roos and Professor T. J. Pempel have been selected for recognition.
| Name (Age): | John Victor Roos (67) |
| Decoration: | Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun |
| Service: | Contributed to strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendship between Japan and the United States |
| Major Titles: | Former Ambassador of the United States to Japan Partner and Founder, Geodesic Capital |
| Address: | Hillsborough, California (U.S.A.) |
Summary of Contributions
His Excellency John Victor Roos, while serving as U.S. Ambassador to Japan for four years from 2009 to 2013, actively built relationships with Japanese citizens of a wide variety of backgrounds, and made significant contributions to strengthening bilateral relations and friendship between Japan and the United States. After leaving his position as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, he founded Geodesic Capital to support Silicon Valley companies’ expansion into Japan, and has remained dedicated to the development of economic relations and interpersonal exchange between Japan and the U.S.
| Name (Age): | T.J. Pempel (79) |
| Decoration: | Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon |
| Service: | Contributed to developing Japanese studies in the United States and promoting mutual understanding between Japan and the United States |
| Major Titles: | Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley |
| Address: | Berkeley, California (U.S.A.) |
Summary of Contributions
Professor T.J. Pempel has spent over fifty years teaching and researching comparative politics, political economy, contemporary Japanese studies, and Asian regionalism at five universities in the United States, fostering the next generation of scholars. He has contributed to the development of Japanese studies in the United States and the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.Since 2001, for over 20 years, he has been a professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley and served as the director of the Institute of East Asian Studies from 2001 to 2007. During his tenure, he has endeavored to promote intellectual exchange between academics and professionals in order to connect academia with diplomacy and public policy.