The government on Saturday announced this fall's 4,521 recipients of decorations and awards for their contributions to the state and society, with top orders going to three present and former lawmakers.

Decorations will also be granted to 26 foreigners from 17 countries. The highest honor, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, will go to three individuals, including Kim Sang Ha, a 75-year-old South Korean businessman and chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, for contributing to bilateral friendship.

Two former House of Councilors members -- Wataru Kubo and Hideo Den -- and incumbent House of Representatives member Kanezo Muraoka will receive the top order, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Kubo, 72, concurrently served as finance minister and deputy prime minister from January to November 1996 under then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. He belonged to the Democratic Party of Japan when he retired in July.

Den, 78, of the Social Democratic Party, ended his 30-year presence in the chamber when he lost his seat in July's Upper House election. He was a journalist before entering politics.

Muraoka, 70, of the Liberal Democratic Party, served as chief Cabinet secretary from September 1997 to July 1998, also under Hashimoto.

The recipients of top orders, also including 11 recipients of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, will receive their decorations Thursday from the Emperor at the Imperial Palace, while Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will present second-tier honors on the same day at the palace.

Other recipients will receive their honors from Cabinet ministers between Nov. 9 and Nov. 13. The recipients include 298 women.

The number of recipients in the Japanese section was about 100 fewer than this year's spring list, chiefly because the scandal-hit Foreign Ministry and the Postal Services Agency refrained from recommending their officials for orders.