On Nov. 3, 2024, the Government of Japan announced the recipients of the 2024 Autumn Conferment of Decoration, including one distinguished individual within the jurisdiction of the Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage.

Hiroko Harada:

• Professor Emeritus, University of Alaska Anchorage
• Chair, Anchorage Sister City Commission
• Decoration: The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette
• Outline of Merit:
• For her distinguished service in promoting the Japanese language in the United States.
• For her distinguished service in contributing to the amicable relations between Japan and the United States

Hiroko Harada began teaching in the U.S. in 1981 as a Japanese language instructor in New Hampshire and for the past 42 years has taught students ranging from elementary school to college.

In 1998, she came to the Department of Languages at the University of Alaska Anchorage where she was appointed as head of the Japanese language program, and in the 25 years since then, she has taught countless students. Later, in 2011, she put her energy behind founding the Montgomery Dickson Center for Japanese Language and Culture in honor of a former student who tragically lost his life during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that same year, promoting mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S. and contributing to the development of research related to Japan and the Japanese language.

In the 13 years since she became chair of the Municipality of Anchorage Sister Cities Commission in 2010, she has been directly involved with the sister city relationship between Anchorage and Chitose in Hokkaido Prefecture. Her efforts have built the foundations for not only Japan-U.S. relations, but also, at a grassroots level, for mutual understanding between Japan and Alaska, and for uplifting students’ motivation to want to study even more.

It was, in part, in recognition of these accomplishments that she was awarded with the Foreign Minister’s Commendation in 2022 and inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2023.

The Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage expresses its deepest respect for Hiroko Harada’s achievements to date.