Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Hiroyasu Izumi handed over the award in Japan at a function held at his residence in the city.
The ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ was established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. National Professor and Vice Chancellor of University of Asia Pacific Prof Jamilur Reza is the 9th Bangladeshi who received the Japanese order.
Former Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Professor Emeritus of Asia Pacific University Dr Shamimuzzan Basunia were present at the ceremony.
Muhith said Prof Jamilur Reza has been his guide and teacher when it comes to issues related to structural engineering. "Jamil is a very organised person."
He said Prof Jamilur is the man who has held the national flag very high in international engineering gatherings and this is an honour not simply for him but it is a national pride.
Appreciating his role, the Japanese Ambassador said, “This is a very moving moment. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Prof Choudhury who made the impossible possible in our history.”
Ambassador Izumi expressed his sincere appreciation for Prof Jamilur Reza for his longstanding contributions towards enhancing bilateral relations between Japan and Bangladesh through his devotion to the infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.
“Impressed by the great work of Prof Chordhury, I would like to reiterate that our commitment to work with Bangladesh toward future is firm,” said the Ambassador.
On November 3, 2018, the government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the 2018 Autumn Imperial Decorations.
Among 135 foreign recipients, Prof Jamilur Reza received the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon”.
He has supported many Japanese development projects from civil engineering point of view such as “Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Project”, “Chittagong Airport Development Project”, and “Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project”.
He has introduced Japanese technology and made the difficult engineering works possible in these projects. In 2013, he received “JICA Recognition Award”.
Besides, he has promoted academic exchange between Japan and Bangladesh and provided the opportunity to study in Japan for Bangladeshi students.