Shyam Saran to get Japan's 'Order of the Rising Sun' award

Tokyo: Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran will be conferred with Japan’s second highest national award for his contributions to strengthen the strategic ties and enhancing mutual understanding between India and Japan.

The Government of Japan on Tuesday announced that in its 2019 Spring Imperial Decorations, it will confer 72-year-old Saran, ‘the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star’.

Saran, who was India’s Foreign Secretary during 2004-2006, has played an important role to elevate Japan-India relationship to strategic partnership, the Embassy of Japan said in a statement.

During his tenure, the then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited India for the first time in 5 years, the statement said. Saran’s contributions in strengthening mutual understanding between Japan and India includes “India Festival”, which was held in Japan in 1988, when he was Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of India in Japan, it said.