Shiva was presented with the official notification of the award at a ceremony here today. She will travel to Japan in September to receive the award at a function.
Japanese Ambassador to India Akitaka Saiki congratulated Shiva for being bestowed with the honour and said her contributions to protecting the environment are valuable.
Shiva is the seventh Indian to receive the award after personalities like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Padma Subrahmanyam, Romila Thapar and Ashis Nandy.
Accepting the award, the activist accused governments of forcing people to commit suicide as they follow an economy based on greed.
"The recent incident at Maruti Suzuki factory is a classic example of what an economy of greed leads to," she said.