Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will be awarded 'The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers', after becoming the first Indian to receive the rare honour.
He has been chosen for one of Japan's top national awards for his significant contribution to the enhancement of relations and promotion of friendship between Japan and India for about 35 years.
Acknowledging the award, Singh said he is truly honoured and feels humbled by the love and affection showered upon him by the people and government of Japan.
He said it had been his dream to see India-Japan relationship grow and prosper and it is an objective towards which he has worked, not only in his tenure as the Prime Minister of India, but across the larger part of his career in public service.
