Actor Koji Yakusho is one of the 674 people and 20 groups to be decorated by the government for their contributions to the arts, academia and sport, the government said Saturday.
Yakusho, 56, whose real name is Koji Hashimoto, is listed as one of the 25 people to be awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon.
The actor's international profile rose after he appeared in the U.S. films "Memoirs of a Geisha" in 2005 and "Babel" in 2006.