Embassy of Japan
Press Release
April 29, 2018

2018 Spring Conferment of Decoration
Senator John Sidney McCain III

 

On April 29, 2018 (Japan time), the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the 2018 Spring Imperial Decorations. Among the foreign recipients is Senator John Sidney McCain III, who will receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his significant contributions to strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendship between Japan and the United States.

  • 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
  • NAME: John Sidney McCain III
  • MAJOR TITLES:
    • Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
    • U.S. Senator
  • ADDRESS (NATIONALITY): Washington, D.C. (USA)

 

SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS

 

Senator McCain was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and to the U.S. Senate in 1986. Since then, he has won successive elections, serving in the U.S. Congress for over 35 years. As a senior Republican senator, he has been particularly active in the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, for which he has chaired since 2015. He is an outstanding statesman in American politics with notable accomplishments, including receiving the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, among others.

 

Senator McCain has been a long-standing supporter of the Japan–U.S. alliance since being elected to the U.S. Congress and introducing a number of resolutions and bills in support of the alliance. During the 2008 presidential election, he, as the Republican presidential nominee, wrote a joint op-ed underscoring his strong support for the Japan – U.S. alliance by calling it “the indispensable anchor of peace, prosperity and freedom in the Asia-Pacific.” As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he has led the deliberation of the National Defense Authorization Act and the effort to include provisions related to the Japan-U.S. alliance, such as the defense of Japan from threats posed by North Korea. These contributions from Senator McCain have been indispensable to Japan.

 

The Government of Japan sincerely hopes that the conferral of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun on Senator McCain, a long-standing supporter of the Japan-U.S. alliance and an influential voice on the U.S. defense policy, will lead to further development and deepening of the Japan-U.S. relationship.

 

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