Four People in Autumn 2012: Ukrainians Who Received Japanese Decorations and Foreign Minister’s Commendations

The list of autumn 2012 decorations for foreign nationals, issued on November 3, 2012, included the names of four people living in Kyiv (given as Kiev in the list) and Lviv: the president of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, a professor of Japanese literature and Japanese-language education and a professor of geography at Kyiv University, and an associate professor at Lviv Polytechnic National University. The Japanese government awards decorations to foreign nationals who have contributed to exchange with Japan, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs separately gives Foreign Minister’s Commendations.

The following draws on the lists of foreign-national decoration recipients published by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the lists of Foreign Minister’s Commendation recipients, and announcements by the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, to identify people living in Ukraine and people holding Ukrainian nationality (including those the embassy’s announcements described as “from Ukraine”) (as of September 2026).

How Do Decorations and Foreign Minister’s Commendations Differ?

Both are systems by which the Japanese government honors foreign nationals, but they differ in their legal basis and in who decides.

According to the Cabinet Office’s explanation, decorations for foreign nationals fall into two categories: “decorations with a strongly ceremonial character,” given on occasions such as state visits or the departure of foreign diplomats posted to Japan, and decorations for foreign nationals who have contributed to promoting friendship with Japan and similar goals. Both are based on recommendations by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The latter category has been conferred at the same time as the spring and autumn decorations for Japanese nationals since autumn 1981.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains the purpose of the Foreign Minister’s Commendations as follows.

The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Commendations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY 2019” press release (English version, July 16, 2019)

Timeline: Ukrainians Who Appeared in the Lists

This lists people whose “nationality/current residence” field in the official lists reads “Ukraine,” together with recipients the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine announced as being from “Ukraine.” The names of the decorations and the achievements are as stated in the announcements, and titles are as of the time of the award.

Three Who Were Ambassadors

Kostenko, Kulinich, and Dashkevych, who received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star in 2016 and 2017, are all diplomats who served as Ambassador of Ukraine to Japan.

By Field of Achievement

Dividing the remaining 12 people—excluding the three who were ambassadors—by the field named in the announcements, Japanese-language education and Japanese studies form the largest group.

• Japanese-language education and Japanese studies: six people—Bondarenko, Fedyryshyn, Pirogov, Chong Shin-il, Mikhdalska, and Rezanenko
• Exchange as university presidents/professors: two people—Zgurovsky and Yatsenko (the wording is cultural and economic exchange for Zgurovsky, and Japanese studies through geography for Yatsenko)
• Music and stage: three people—Gudziy, Pylypchak, and Chupryna
• Introducing Japanese culture (translation): one person—Dziub

Ivan Dziub, who received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2006 (given in the list as “Ivan Dziub”), was a physicist who translated works by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke and Kawabata Yasunari from Japanese into Ukrainian. Ivan Bondarenko in 2012 (given in the list as “Ivan Petrovych Bondarenko”) is a co-editor of the “Ukrainian-Japanese Dictionary.” Their work is covered in our article on Japanese novels in Ukrainian translation. Gudziy’s commendation is also mentioned in our article on kobzars and the bandura.

According to the embassy’s announcement, Chong Shin-il, commended in FY2015, became a Japanese-language teacher at Kyiv National Linguistic University in 1991, just after Ukraine’s independence, and in 1993 founded the Association of Japanese Language Teachers of Ukraine, serving as its chair for about five years. Mikhdalska, commended in FY2017, has taught Japanese at several educational institutions in Odesa since 1990 and has made her own teaching materials. The current number of people learning Japanese in Ukraine is covered in our article on the Japan Foundation’s FY2024 survey.

The Lists Since 2019

Counting the lists year by year, no Ukrainian names appear after Chupryna in autumn 2018. The reason is not stated in the announcements, so only the numbers are shown here.

How the Counting Was Done

The “overseas foreign nationals” section of the decorations list gives both “nationality” and “current residence.” For example, Kulinich in autumn 2016 has “Ukraine” as nationality and Canberra, Australia, as current residence. People counted here are those for whom either nationality or current residence is “Ukraine.” Because the Foreign Minister’s Commendations list gives only current residence, people living in Japan were supplemented from announcements by the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine (Gudziy; the announcement describes her as “from Ukraine and active mainly in Japan”).

In the list of recipients of the Japan Foundation Award (since 1973), which is separate from the decorations, no individual or group from Ukraine was found through FY2026 either.