11-4-14 petri honored by japan government

Fond du Lac CongressmanTom Petri is the recipient of Japan’s second highest civilian honor.  The Japanese Prime Minister presented Petri with  the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star followed by an audience with His Majesty Akihito, the Emperor of Japan.   For over a decade, Petri has been appointed to serve as one of two House Members on the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, an independent federal agency, and has been involved in numerous legislative exchange programs with members of the Japanese Diet in Tokyo and in the United States.  Petri also regularly meets with Members of the Japanese Diet in his Washington, D.C. office to discuss issues of importance between the two countries.  He has been active in the Congressional Study Group on Japan organized by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress.   The Orders of the Rising Sun were Japan’s first awards, established in 1875.  They feature rays of sunlight radiating from a rising sun.  There are six levels of the award, of which the Gold and Silver Star is the second highest.  Nominees are recommended for the award by the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs.