Shigeru Miyamoto will be given one of Japan’s highest honors.
He will receive Japan’s Order of Culture, the highest cultural honor the government can give, to be personally bestowed by the emperor himself.
Miyamoto gave a brief statement himself in Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters, stating that his achievements are the result of collaboration with many others, but that he is accepting the honor on their behalf as well.
Prior members of the Order of Culture who may be known outside Japan include:
- Film director Akira Kurosawa
- Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube
- Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka
- Fashion designer Issey Miyake
- Actor Ken Takakura
- Manga creator Tetsuya Chiba (Ashita no Joe)
Miyamoto is the first person in the video game industry to receive this honor. Some fans may feel other Japanese developers or creators equally or more righteously deserve the honor, but let’s not get it twisted.
This is the Japanese government also recognizing the video game industry to this level for the first time. So it’s not just an honor for Miyamoto, but for all Japanese video game developers.
