Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki Receives Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays
October 26, 2026
Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki, a board member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation and noted scientist, received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, in a ceremony Friday, October 23, at the Japanese American National Museum’s Democracy Center in Los Angeles.
Kosei Murota, the Japanese consul general in Los Angeles, presented the award to Hoshizaki, 101, and noted his multiple contributions to science and U.S.-Japan relations. A botanist and expert in circadian rhythms, Hoshizaki spent his career working for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research in Antarctica was noted in a 1961 article in the New York Times.
“Of all the events in my life, this one really culminates me,” Hoshizaki said after receiving the award.
While incarcerated at the Heart Mountain camp for Japanese Americans during World War II, Hoshizaki was among the 85 men who resisted the military draft because he was denied his freedom. He was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to two years in federal prison. President Harry Truman pardoned him on December 24, 1947. Hoshizaki later served in the military during the Korean War.
Hoshizaki’s life “is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit,” Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, said Friday. “It’s meaningful to have this ceremony in our Democracy Center.”
The award was important, said Heart Mountain Board Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi, “because I don’t want Takashi’s story to be forgotten.”
Photo: Japanese Consul General Kosei Murota claps after presenting the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, to Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki, right.
Credit: Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation