The «Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun», the highest distinction granted by Emperor Naruhito of Japan to foreign citizens, was awarded to Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry reports that the solemn ceremony took place in Havana, at the headquarters of the Embassy of Japan, where the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Asian nation, Nakamura Kazuhito, presented the high decoration.

Cabrisas served as Cuba’s ambassador to Tokyo in the 1970s, and his work was decisive in the expansion and strengthening of ties between the two nations, the text highlights.

Since that time, it adds, he has excelled in the promotion of cooperation and economic and commercial ties between Cuba and Japan.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz presided over the ceremony on the Cuban side.

The decoration «Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun» is awarded to those who have made outstanding achievements in international relations, the promotion of Japanese culture or the preservation of the environment.