Shigeo Nagashima, the lifetime honorary manager of the Yomiuri Giants, was among those who received the Order of Culture from the Emperor at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday, at a ceremony attended by six of this year's honorees.
All the attendees wore face masks to prevent infection with the novel coronavirus.
"I find it truly gratifying that you devoted your efforts for many years and contributed to cultural progress," the Emperor said in a speech to the recipients.
This year's nine awardees also include kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro, 79. Two recipients were absent from the ceremony, including climatologist and meteorologist Syukuro Manabe, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics this year.
Ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer Asami Maki was also chosen for the Order of Culture this year, but she died on Oct. 20 at the age of 87. The date she received the order was posthumously moved back to that day.
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