The Government of Japan in presenting its traditional awards in Fall
On November 3rd (Japan Time), the Government of Japan announced the recipients of its Fall 2008 Decorations. This system was set up in 1871 in order to honor those who have performed meritorious service to the Japanese nation or public, or else distinguished themselves by their excellence in various field of society.
From Southern California, the following three people will be awarded.
Mr. Thomas Charles Lasorda – The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
Mr. Roy Muraoka - The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Mr. Cedrick M. Shimo - The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Thomas Charles Lasorda
-The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette-
Mr. Tommy Lasorda was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for twenty years from 1976 to 1996. His long list of accomplishments includes two Major League Baseball World Series championships for the Dodgers and being named “the best manager in the 20th Century.”
He went to Japan in 1965 as a guest coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers and taught the Yomiuri Giants and their manager, Mr. Shigeo Nagashima. The Yomiuri Giants won an unprecedented nine straight championships from that year in the Japan Professional Baseball Championship Series.
In 1995, when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo, Mr. Lasorda warmly welcomed him and treated him like a member of his own family. Mr. Lasorda continued using Hideo Nomo in games, giving him many chances to demonstrate his true abilities and achieve solid results. Many other Japanese players followed Nomo’s lead and were acquired by American baseball teams. The talents of Japanese players received increased exposure in the American media, and it promoted Japan’s image among Americans. The current trend for Japanese baseball players to join American teams owes much to Mr. Lasorda’s ability to draw out high performance from Hideo Nomo.
In 2001, Mr. Lasorda became the special advisor to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Through the years he has advised and taught many Japanese professional teams and ball players. At Waseda University, he delivered a lecture to one thousand students. In 2006, he visited Japan as a Goodwill Ambassador of the 1st World Baseball Classic.
For over four decades, Mr. Lasorda has contributed to the promotion of baseball in Japan through coaching, advising, and cooperation with various teams, players and university students. He also has contributed to the sound growth of many young people in Japan through bolstering the enthusiasm of baseball and sports among them.
Roy Muraoka
-The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays-
Mr. Roy Muraoka (third generation Japanese American), born in Chula Vista, California, was interned during World War II in a Japanese American internment camp. After the war, he graduated from high school in Chula Vista, and after working in the family farming business, was drafted into the United States military and was stationed in Japan as a medical technician. After being discharged from the military, he returned to his hometown to continue work with his family in the farming business, and used their farmland as the site to construct a mobile home park geared towards seniors and began a rental residence business, steadily growing the business to great success.
Mr. Muraoka was influenced by his parents’ exemplary and committed social service activism and dedicated himself to regional and community activism. While serving important posts at and contributing to the development of organizations such as the Japanese Coordinating Council of San Diego and the Japanese Friendship Garden Association of San Diego, he helped strengthen collaboration amongst organizations, thereby smoothly advancing the work of many projects. In this way, he contributed greatly to the development of friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S.
He especially felt the necessity to bring together the various Nikkei organizations of San Diego, home for many years to a large number of Nikkei, and the home of a U.S. navy base (Third Fleet Naval Command Station) with an active connection to Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force. Joining together with like-minded associates, in 1977 he helped found the Japanese Coordinating Council of San Diego, a high level entity to represent the various Nikkei organizations. Subsequently, through serving the Council as Director, Vice President, and President, Mr. Muraoka advanced the welfare of the Nikkei community in the San Diego region, and played a vital role in the mediation of the U.S.-Japan friendship.
In addition, Mr. Muraoka worked for the restoration and construction of the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, San Diego, and from 1984 to the present, has served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden Association. In order to address budget issues, he not only planned various fundraising events, but also contributed a great deal of his own funds.
Mr. Muraoka has contributed a great deal to the U.S-Japan friendship at the grassroots level by committed involvement in the sister city relationships between his hometown Chula Vista and Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and between San Diego and Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture as an officer in both sister city associations.
Cedrick Masaki Shimo
-The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays-
Mr. Cedrick Shimo is California-born second generation Japanese American (Nisei). After graduating from UCLA, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and was placed in the 1800th Engineer General Service Battalion. His role was to repair damages to roads and bridges caused by combat troops during training maneuvers. After the war, for 25 years, he worked at a trading firm and then joined American Honda in 1972. In 1975, he made a transition to Honda International Trading as Vice-President, responsible for exports to Japan until his retirement in 1989.
During his tenure at Honda International Trading, he lectured at economic organizations, ports, universities, business associations to promote Japan-U.S. trade, not only in California but also in other states. At the time (1987-1988) there was a trade friction between U.S. and Japan heating up with the labor unions and the media. To calm the so-called “Japan Bashing,” he actively carried out various lectures, reaching out to more than 2200 listeners.
In his lecture, he explained that Japanese products did not threaten the U.S market, by showing his own business experience, example, export data and actual situation that American farm products and other American products were being exported to Japan. He strongly emphasized that promoting bilateral trade between two countries would lead to further economic development. Through such lectures, he contributed to an enhancement of Japan’s image among his listeners, along with the media, business group leaders, officials, and the labor unions that were bashing Japan. With his positive influence on the construction of Japan-U.S. economic relations, and bilateral trade, he achieved his goal of promoting a better understanding of Japan.
Furthermore, with his desire to share his various experience as a Nisei to others, he has donated most mementos such as photographs, kimonos, and Kendo equipment to various museums. To date, he has been an active volunteer guide at the Japanese American National Museum, continuing to share his experience as a Nisei to the next generation.