2023 Spring Conferment of Decorations (Dr. Judith Nancy Rabinovitch, Karashima Tsukasa Professor Emerita of Japanese Language and Culture, the Department of World Language and Cultures at the University of Montana)

On April 29, 2023 (JST), the Government of Japan announced that Dr. Judith Nancy Rabinovitch, Karashima Tsukasa Professor Emerita of Japanese Language and Culture at the University of Montana, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of her contributions to the promotion of academic exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States with a focus on Japanese studies, including language and cultural education, and scholarly research.

Decoration: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
Service: Promotion of academic exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States
Major Titles: Karashima Tsukasa Professor Emerita of Japanese Language and Culture, the Department of World Language and Cultures at the University of Montana, and former Head of the Japanese section in the Department

Summary of Contributions:
Dr. Rabinovitch has contributed to advancing research and education about Japan, its language, literature, and culture for more than half a century, enhancing the relationship and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. Her dedicated service as a professor at the University of Montana for 23 years included the early establishment and development of the first four-year Japanese language and literature program in the state, which produced talented graduates in a wide range of business and academic fields, among them, several dozen who entered advanced degree programs. Dr. Rabinovitch’s earlier career included over a decade of teaching and service at Ohio State University, Yale University, and the University of Auckland, New Zealand. While at UM, she served on the Editorial Advisory Board of Japan Review (International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto), the Board of Directors of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese, and the Scholarship Committee of the US-Japanese Bridging Project. In addition to her commitment to education and service, Dr. Rabinovitch has published extensively in the field of Japanese Kanshi (Sinitic verse) and poetics; her work, recognized nationally and internationally, has spread knowledge of the breadth and richness of Japanese classical literature. Further, she engaged in fostering the sister-state relationship between Montana and Kumamoto, while also assisting in establishing ties with many other universities in Japan, initiating academic and cultural engagement. 
As the Karashima Tsukasa Professor Emerita of Japanese Language and Culture since her retirement in 2015, Dr. Rabinovitch has continued her activities to further Japanese studies through research and publication, strengthening ties between Japan and the United States. Dr. Rabinovitch was previously awarded the Foreign Minister's Commendation in 2017 for her contributions to Japan studies in the United States.