Mr. Bill Gates to receive 2020 Spring Decoration from the Government of Japan

On April 29, 2020 Japan Standard Time, the Government of Japan announced that Mr. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been awarded Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, in recognition of his contributions to Japan and the world in regards to worldwide technological transformation and advancement of global health.

• Decoration: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
• Service: Contributions to Japan and the world in regards to worldwide technological transformation and advancement of global health.
• Major Titles:
  • Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Co-founder of Microsoft

  Mr. Gates co-founded Microsoft with Mr. Paul Allen in 1975 when still a student at Harvard University. Through Mr. Gates’s work at the company for four decades, he helped bring about a global technological revolution that dramatically changed society’s means of interaction, ushering in a new era where people all over the world can have access to information and communication. Japan is a big beneficiary of such a transformation; Microsoft Japan, the first overseas office for the company, has produced many computer engineers who later developed and shaped Japan’s computer industry.
 
Mr. Gates and Ms. Melinda Gates established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, generously contributing the fortune they built over years. They together embarked upon an unprecedented philanthropic venture to ensure that all people have the opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life, especially in the developing world. Mr. Gates has stood at the forefront of global efforts and supported governments and international organizations to drive forth the international community’s collective endeavors to eradicate extreme poverty, improve public health and eradicate infectious diseases which disproportionately affect the poor, and ensure access to education. He has become an iconic leader in the promotion of universal initiatives, such as the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2000 and 2015, respectively.
 
In his quest for a fairer world, Mr. Gates has worked closely with and steadfastly supported Japan’s initiatives, most notably in the field of global health. His personal involvement was pivotal in promoting the global health agenda at the Hokkaido Toyako G8 summit in 2008. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established following Japan’s proposal at the Kyushu, Okinawa G8 Summit of 2000; the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize; and the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT) are but a few examples of his close cooperation with Japan. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation continues to be a major benefactor of numerous international health initiatives, including the current fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
 
His dedication and contributions to the welfare of humanity are globally recognized. The Japanese government is proud to be able to bestow Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Japan to a non-Japanese citizen, to acknowledge and thank him for his outstanding service to the world.