By TAKASHI NARAZAKI/ Staff Writer
March 3, 2023 at 17:04 JST
Shingo Kunieda plays at a Tokyo Paralympic match on Sept. 4, 2021. (Toshiyuki Takeya)
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided on March 3 to bestow the People’s Honor Award on wheelchair tennis superstar Shingo Kunieda, who announced his retirement in January.
Kunieda will be the first para-athlete to receive the award.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference on March 3 that Kunieda achieved an unprecedented feat and made significant contributions to the spread of para-sports.
“He gave dreams and thrills to the people and brought hope and courage to society,” Matsuno said.
He added that he hopes the awarding to Kunieda will encourage para-athletes and people with disabilities and lead to a society where diversity is respected.
The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 17 at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo.
Kunieda won 28 singles Grand Slam titles and three Paralympic gold medals, including at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
He achieved a Career Golden Slam: winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and a Paralympic gold.
The People’s Honor Award has been given to 26 individuals, including figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, and one group.
On Feb. 3, Kishida instructed relevant officials to consider honoring Kunieda with the award.
Tennis legend Kunieda in line for People’s Honor Award
February 4, 2023
Kunieda: Mission accomplished both on and off the tennis court
February 8, 2023
TENNIS/ Wheelchair great Shingo Kunieda hangs up racket as world No. 1
January 23, 2023
EDITORIAL: Bright future for parasports due to wheelchair ace Shingo Kunieda
January 25, 2023
TENNIS/ Kunieda finally gets wheelchair singles title at Wimbledon
July 11, 2022
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
