The Government of Japan announced the name in the category of foreign recipients in 2019 ‘Spring Imperial Decorations’, Japanese Embassy said in a media statement.
Prof Mahmudul Haque received the award for his contribution to strengthen cultural exchange through promoting modern art in Japan and Bangladesh.
Prof Mahmudul Haque studied print making at the University of Tsukuba, Japan with a Japanese government-scholarship from 1981 to 1984.
As a faculty member of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka, he taught the art of block printing and the essence of Japanese art.
He was the Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka from 1998 to 2000.
Prof Mahmudul Haque contributed to enhance bilateral cultural interaction between Japan and Bangladesh from 2004 to 2006 as the Director General of the Bangladesh National Museum.
He organized numbers of cultural exhibitions and seminars related to Japan and its culture in Dhaka.