Image via agency website As any industry matures, recognition of the work in that industry evolves and matures along with it. Nippon TV reported this morning the 21 recipients of the Persons of Cultural Merit honors and the Order of Culture award. This list includes voice actor Masako Nozawa, who is best known for playing Goku in the Dragon Ball franchise, Kitaro in the GeGeGe no Kitaro series, and many characters in the Doraemon series, including the titular character in 1973 and 1976. Nozawa is the first voice actor to receive a Persons of Cultural Merit honor. The Persons of Cultural Merit honor was set up in 1951 to give honorees a pension, which, as of 1985, is 3.5 million yen (US$23,300) per year, after the then-new Constitution of Japan disallowed any government-sponsored awards to have benefits attached. 20 people are awarded the Persons of Cultural Merit per year. The Order of Culture chooses to award recipients from the previous year’s Persons of Cultural Merit honor. Both are chosen by the Japanese Prime Minister of the day to people who have contributed to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in various fields, including sciences, arts, culture and more. RELATED : Gundam Creator, Wata no Kuni Hoshi Manga Creator to Be Given Persons of Cultural Merit Honors Since Hayao Miyazaki was awarded the Persons of Cultural Merit honor in 2012, more anime and manga industry leaders have received the honors, including The Poe Clan manga creator Moto Hagio and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto in 2019 , and Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino and Wata no Kuni Hoshi manga creator Yumiko Oshima in 2021 . The ceremony for both the Persons of Cultural Merit honors and the Order of Culture award will be held on November 3. Before then, Masako Nozawa released a comment about her honors: “I understand this honor is one I receive on behalf of the voice acting community. I feel immense pride that the spotlight of this award shines not only on myself, but also on my seniors, my peers, and the younger generation who will venture into the future of voice acting. I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all the creators who have brought these works and characters to life, and to the fans who continue to support us unwaveringly. It is only through your existence that “culture” is nurtured, and that our journey as voice actors continues to be made possible. My only real asset is my energy, so I intend to keep delivering my “voice” with all my might, hoping to contribute even a little to repaying my debt to culture.” Source: Nippon TV News
