Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain awarded the Order of the Rising Sun

Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays With Neck Ribbon by the Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Junji Shimada, in a ceremony on 26 March 2021. 

Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain, was awarded the Japanese Imperial Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. This award is the third highest of six categories, and the highest an academic can be given. 

The conferment ceremony, hosted by the Japanese Consul General on behalf of the Government of Japan, was held on Friday 26 March 2021 at the Adelaide Intercontinental. Consul General Junji Shimada had personally carried the medal and parchment from Japan on his way to be installed as Consul General in Melbourne. 

In his speech, Consul General Shimada outlined Professor Jain’s contribution to Japan Studies through his scholarship and his role in promoting Japan-Australia relations both at home and internationally. Professor Jain is one of only a handful of Australian academics to receive this award since 1981 when non-Japanese citizens could be considered for the first time.

In his acceptance speech Professor Jain thanked his colleagues and the University of Adelaide where he commenced his professorial position in 1995 upon his appointment to the then Centre for Asian Studies (now Depart of Asian Studies). He continued in this role until his retirement in 2019. In addition to some sixty colleagues, family, friends and members of the Japanese community, former Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Brooks, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Jennie Shaw and Head of the School of Social Sciences, Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray also attended. 

On behalf of the University Professor Shaw congratulated Professor Jain on his award and briefly outlined his contribution to the University. Earlier in the day, the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le, hosted a lunch at Government House to also congratulate Professor Jain on his Japanese Imperial Award (Photo attached).