The recipients of the "Spring Medal", which is given to those who have devoted themselves to the path for many years and those who have made achievements in the fields of art and sports, have been announced. Ayumu Hirano, who won the gold medal for the first time as a player, and 20 other groups will receive the award.

The recipients of this year's "Spring Medal" are


▽ Six "Red Ribbon Medal" given to people and groups who have made achievements in lifesaving activities.


▽ A group of 11 people and 20 "Green Ribbon Medal" given to people and groups who have made achievements in volunteer activities.


▽ There are 199 "Yellow Ribbon Medal" given to those who have devoted themselves to the path for many years.


▽ Twenty-one "Medal with Purple Ribbon" are given to those who have made achievements in the fields of art, culture, sports, and academic research.


▽ There are 451 "Ai Ribbon Medal" given to those who have made remarkable achievements in public work.



Of these, the Medal with Red Ribbon is awarded to 81-year-old Tatsunori Honda, who lives in Osaka Prefecture and rescued a man who was late due to a house fire.



As a lyricist, "Medal with Purple Ribbon" has produced many works that resonate with people, such as "Kawa no Nagare no Youni" by Hibari Misora, and Yasushi Akimoto, who is also known as a music producer, and the popular anime "New Century". Hideaki Anno, an animation and film director who has opened up new possibilities for visual expression in hit works such as "Evangelion", will receive the award.



In addition, Yuta Iyama, who won four honorary titles by achieving two major title monopolies for the first time in history as a Go player, and Kenichi Okamoto, an actor who plays a wide range of roles attractively in the stage and movies, etc. Receive the title.



In addition, Ayumu Hirano, the first snowboarder to win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics snowboard, Ryoyu Kobayashi, a ski jumper who won the gold medal, Miho Takagi, a speed skating skier, and Miho Takagi, who won the gold medal at the Beijing Paralympics. Momoka Muraoka of alpine skiing and Taiki Kawayoke of cross-country skiing will also receive the award.



Recipients of the "Spring Medal" are supposed to receive words from His Majesty the Emperor at the Imperial Palace every year, but due to the influence of the new coronavirus, they have been canceled following last year.

Lyricist Yasushi Akimoto

Yasushi Akimoto, a lyricist who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 63 years old from Tokyo.

Since he was a high school student, he has been active as a broadcast writer and has composed numerous popular programs such as the commercial TV program "The Best Ten."



On the other hand, he made his debut as a lyricist in 1981, grasping the flow of the times with an excellent observation eye, and the times such as Hibari Misora's "Like the flow of the river" and Kyoko Koizumi's "What an idol". We have released a colorful hit song to the world.



In 2005, he launched the idol group "AKB48", and as a general producer, he planned various projects, gained popularity from a wide range of generations in Japan and overseas, and became a million seller, including other sister groups produced. Has produced many.



Regarding the award, Mr. Akimoto said, "I am very honored. I started from a broadcast writer and ran through the era, the era, with the lyricist and the producer. No way, I would be honored with the award. I never dreamed of it. I'm happy that I've been able to continue this work. "

Go Yuta Iyama

Yuta Iyama of Go, who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 32 years old from Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka.

Under the influence of his grandfather, he started playing Go from an early age, became a professional at the age of 12 in the first year of junior high school, and then broke many youngest records.



In addition, he is the first Go player in Japan to win the National Honor Award in 2018, having achieved two major title monopolies for the first time in history.



At a press conference held in Osaka City after the Medal with Purple Ribbon was decided, Mr. Iyama said, "I feel very honored and honored."



Regarding the future, "Go is deep because there are countless changes and there is no same game as one game. I am happy to be able to meet something that makes me so crazy. I am happy to take on new challenges. I think that the attitude of doing things is important for fighting for a long time, so I hope that I will continue to look ahead and not be satisfied with the current situation. "

Actor Kenichi Okamoto

Kenichi Okamoto, an actor who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 52 years old from Tokyo.

After making his debut as an actor in 1985, he was also active as a singer, participating in NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen for the second consecutive year as a member of the four-member rock band "Otoko Tokogumi" formed in 1988.



After the band stopped working in 1993, he played a wide range of roles attractively on the stage and in movies, and won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award at the stage "Richard II" where he starred last year. Is highly evaluated.



In 2016, he appeared in many TV dramas such as playing the role of Katsunaga Mori, a warlord of the Warring States, who fought against Tokugawa as Toyotomi along with Yukimura Sanada in the NHK Taiga drama "Sanada Maru".



Regarding the award, Mr. Okamoto said, "I want to share my joy with everyone. I am full of feelings that are not just my award. I am deeply grateful. I will continue to cherish the life time that can only be felt at that time. I pledge to create "works" that color the world in many colors and enrich the heart, and continue to deliver them to as many people as possible. "

Ski jumping Ryoyu Kobayashi

Ryoyu Kobayashi, a ski jumper who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 25 years old from Iwate prefecture.

She won the gold medal at the men's normal hill for ski jumping and the silver medal at the men's large hill at the Beijing Olympics in February.



It was the first time in 24 years that a Japanese athlete won a gold medal in the Olympic ski jumping since the 1998 Nagano Games.



Kobayashi said about her award, "I am very happy and honored. I want to make as many people as possible aware of the jump competition and do my best to contribute to its spread and development."



She also said she looked back at the Beijing Games and she said, "I was wondering what would happen when she entered Beijing, but in the end it was a good performance."



She thanked the locals in Iwate prefecture, saying, "She hasn't changed and she's been supporting me all the time, so she's encouraging."



For the future, she said, "I want to show big jumps as usual, and I can only fly, so I will show the results. I also want to do my best to win the World Cup." I was new.

Speed ​​skating Miho Takagi

Miho Takagi, a speed skating player who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 27 years old from Hokkaido.

She won the gold medal for the women's 1000 meters at the Beijing Olympics in February, the women's 500 meters and the women's 1500 meters, and the silver medal for the women's group Pachute.



Takagi said about her award, she said, "She feels very honored and feels tight. I want to work hard every day to take actions that deserve this chapter."



Looking back on the Beijing Olympics, he said, "It was a very long Olympics, but various people tried to fight together until the end. I couldn't come this far alone, but I could fight to the end because I couldn't stop. I have a feeling. I felt that the last 1000 meters had been completed. "

Para alpine skiing Momoka Muraoka

Momoka Muraoka, who receives the Medal with Purple Ribbon, is 25 years old from Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture.

She won three gold medals and one silver medal at the Alpine Skiing Girls in the Beijing Paralympics last month.



This is the second time Muraoka has received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, following four years before he won the first gold medal at the Paralympics.



Muraoka said, "I'm very happy that this is the second time because not everyone can get it. I'm very proud of the fact that I was able to recognize what I was doing and the results of my efforts." ..



Looking back on the Beijing Paralympics, "It was a difficult course for girls to reach the goal, and winning three gold medals and one silver medal led to my own growth. I did my best in all the races. I can say with confidence that it was a tournament that was completed in the middle of the race, and I am glad that the results came along. "



Muraoka, who participated in the Tokyo Paralympic Games last summer on a wheelchair, decided to aim for a summer and winter tournament with two swords, land and ski, for the next Paralympic Games. I want to start walking. I want to work on things that will make me faster and better. "