Congratulations! Congratulations to Mr. Moriaki Tanaka for receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays!

Friday, June 20, 2025

Congratulations! Celebration for Mr. Moriaki Tanaka receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays

On Saturday, June 14th, from 2pm, former Chairman of the Hokuriku Town Council, Mr. Morisuke Tanaka (88 years old), was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, for the Elderly, and a celebration was held at Sunflower Park Hokuriku Onsen.

Holding a celebration party

On Saturday, June 14th, a celebration was held for former Kitaryū Town Council Chairman Moriaki Tanaka (88 years old), who received the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays.

• Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays: Awarded to those who have made distinguished contributions to the nation or the public and who have performed outstanding deeds in various fields of society.
• Senior Citizens Award: Awarded to those who have made distinguished contributions but have not yet received the Spring and Autumn Orders upon reaching the age of 88.

promoter

• Founder Representative:Mr. Shoichi Nakamura (Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Council)
• Founder:Koji Kawada (Chairman of the Council Alumni Association), Masato Sawada (Chairman of the Nishikawa Neighborhood Association), Hideyuki Minami (Chairman of the General Assembly)

Couple entrance

Moderator: Hajime Nanba, General Affairs Division Chief, Hokuryu Town Hall

Representative speech from the promoter: Chairman of Hokuryu Town Council, Shoichi Nakamura

"Today, on behalf of the organizers, I would like to offer greetings at the celebration for the awarding of the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays to Town Council Chairman Tanaka Moriaki.

The town and others have been making preparations for this celebration, and the announcement was made jointly by the town council chairman, Kawada, chairman of the town council alumni association, Sawada, chairman of the Nishikawa neighborhood association to which Tanaka-san once belonged, and Minami, chairman of the general meeting of representatives. Thank you very much to all of you for attending in large numbers despite your busy schedules. We would like to express our sincere gratitude.

Mr. Tanaka was born in Nishikawa in January 1937, graduated from Shinryu Elementary School and Hokuryu Junior High School, and began working in agriculture in 1952.

He then graduated from Nopporo Dairy Farming High School through correspondence courses in 1956, and lived in Hokuryu Town for many years, making his living as a farmer.

In 1983, he was recommended by the local community and elected to the Hokuryu Town Council, where he served for 16 years over four terms. In his third term, he served as vice-chairman, and in his fourth term, he demonstrated his skills to the fullest as chairman.

After his fourth term, he retired and handed over his seat to his successor, but he served as chairman of many different organizations not only during his term as a member of the Diet, but also before and after, and I believe he was highly regarded for his character and abilities. For this reason, I believe he has been honored with the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays. I would like to offer my congratulations and best wishes once again.

During his youth, he was active in youth group activities, including the Sakuraoka Youth Group, and served as chairman of the Hokuryu Town Youth Group Liaison Council in 1963 and 1964, and as chairman of the Kita Sorachi Youth Group Council in 1967.

As a result, there are colleagues from that time all over Zenro, and he is currently serving as a council member of the Hokkaido Youth Hall General Incorporated Foundation and as vice president of the Hokkaido Youth Corps Alumni Association.

I was also a council member at the same time, and when Mr. Tanaka was absent, many people would ask me things like, "Is Mochi-chan doing well?"

He was also involved with his family temple, Hokoji Temple in Otagawa, Shinshu, from a young age, and participated in the establishment of the Sosei Nenkai, serving as its second chairman.The Sosei Nenkai continues to run today.

He was elected as the representative in 2000, served as deputy representative chairman in 2009, and served as representative chairman for one term of three years in 2018. After retiring from that position, he has been in charge of operations as a responsible officer since 2021.

In recent years, he has been enjoying playing park golf in the summer, both to stay healthy and to deepen friendships with his friends. He is quite skilled at the game, and has won many tournaments.

In closing, in this era in which we can expect to live to 100 years old, I hope that Mr. Tanaka and Mrs. Kazuko will take good care of their health and stay in good health, and I pray for the Tanaka family to continue to prosper.

"I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of you attending today, wishing you good health and happiness. Thank you very much for joining us today," said Chairman Nakamura in his opening remarks.

Bouquet presentation: Bouquet presented by great-grandson Sota Azuma

Congratulatory speech: Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki of Hokuryu Town

"On behalf of everyone here, I would like to offer my congratulations.

Congratulations to Mr. Seisuke Tanaka on receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays.

Mr. Tanaka Moriaki worked in the family business of agriculture, and together with his family, he worked hard at the family business, striving to establish agriculture and stabilize agricultural management.

Furthermore, in 1983, he was nominated by local residents and elected to the Hokuryu Town Council. He served as chairman of the Standing Committee on Industry and Construction, vice-chairman of the council, and then chairman of the council, and during his long tenure of 16 years over four terms, he worked hard to ensure the smooth running of the council, promote industry in the town, improve welfare, improve the living environment, and improve education and culture, making a great contribution to the promotion and development of local government.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays is awarded. The category of "contributions to local government" is a big one, but local government does not simply mean serving as a council member for a long time, but rather it is about improving welfare and caring for the residents, which is related to all aspects of their lives. I believe that this is what led to receiving the award.

I feel that way when I see how Mr. Tanaka has lived his life. Today, the morning started with the sports day at the Japanese Nursery School. From morning until noon, it was a sports day for the children who represent this town, and the atmosphere was filled with cheers and happy voices.

And there was also a municipal baseball tournament held at the town hall. I used to participate in this tournament, too, and the young men who work there, who represent the town, competed with each other in the baseball games.

Mr. Tanaka has worked so hard and been so active in so many different fields, so I think today's celebration is a very good day.

We are extremely grateful that the children, young people and seniors will be our cheering squad for this wonderful day.

I was first elected to the Diet in 1987. At the time, there were seven newcomers out of a total of 14 seats.

With the exception of the chairman, the majority of the committee were already newcomers, so it was actually a rather disrespectful move.

They try to make all the decisions with new members. Mr. Tanaka was quick to notice this. "That's not what a parliament is like. This is what a parliament is like," he said, teaching me the basics. It really resonated with me. I think I received valuable guidance from him.

Mr. Nakamura was the 9th Speaker of the Assembly, I am the 12th Speaker, and the current Speaker, Mr. Nakamura, is the 13th Speaker, so I would like to work within the history of this Assembly.

Another thing is that a certain person went to the Sorachi City Council of Chairpersons. At that time, the Sorachi City Council of Chairpersons was dominated by a member of a local assembly, who was able to monopolize the positions of chairperson and vice-chairman, due to the power of numbers.

At that time, Mr. Tanaka said, "Small towns have strong self-governance as well, so it would be a big mistake for only large towns to monopolize the officers and three top positions of the Council of Council Chairmen."

Thanks to that, the current Sorachi City Council has appointed chairpersons with good conduct, and we are extremely grateful that our small town can now take responsibility for its own governance.

Since then, he has been the head of various organizations. I hope that he will continue to be a member of those organizations and continue to support the town.

We hope that you and your husband will continue to stay in good health and continue to provide us with your guidance.

In closing, I would like to offer my best wishes to the Tanaka family and everyone attending today, and conclude my speech by wishing them continued success. Congratulations on your success today," said Mayor Sasaki.

Commemorative gift presentation: Ms. Keiko Banda, Assistant Section Chief, General Affairs Section, Hokuryu Town Hall

Acknowledgements: Mr. Moriaki Tanaka

"Thank you very much for holding such a grand celebration for me receiving this award.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the organizers of this event, and especially to Mr. Minami and Mr. Banda from the town hall, for their help in organizing it. Thank you very much.

I have just received some very generous words from the initiator, Chairman Nakamura, and Mayor Sasaki. I am extremely grateful. Thank you very much.

Looking back, my parents divorced in 1988 when I was two years old, and my life has been full of ups and downs since then, but thanks to all of you for your kind guidance, I have somehow managed to get to where I am today. Thank you very much.

In addition, I have served in the Diet for four terms, a total of 16 years. It is in recognition of that that I have received this award, which has been bestowed upon me by all of you. Thank you very much.

I want to live up to this chapter in my life and give back to you, even if only a little, but I no longer have the power to do so. I intend to live each day with gratitude and gratitude, trying to cause as little trouble as possible, so I ask for your continued guidance and advice.

Finally, I would like to sincerely pray for your continued good health and success, and would like to express my gratitude, although it may be simple. Thank you very much," said Mr. Tanaka, expressing his deep gratitude.

Toast: Honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town, Ryoji Kikura

"I have been receiving guidance from Mr Tanaka for 70 years.

Today, I would like to introduce two things about Tanaka from his youth that not many people know about.

Mr. Tanaka was a farmer in Nishikawa with a very small amount of land, and he had a very hard time. What I still can't forget is that Mr. Tanaka worked hard as a leader of the Akabira coal mine in Utashinai in order to survive, for his family, and to protect the farming business.

I have seen Mr. Tanaka making desperate efforts to protect his home in the scorching heat at a time when any accident would have been the end of his life.

I didn't have the courage to work like Mr. Tanaka, so I worked for Sasaki Construction for 18 years, but I will never forget the way Mr. Tanaka lived his life.

Another point: When Tanaka-san started his youth group activities, Hokuryu Town included the 12 towns and villages of Kita-Sorachi and Ebe-Otsu, so in the star track and field competitions, Hokuryu was always in the top 5 or 6 in the B class.

The event started with Tanaka Moriaki and Kanayama saying, "This is no good. Why do we have to lose?"

Mr. Kanayama was a very intelligent person, and we had many discussions about how we should make efforts to beat other towns and cities.

We then appealed to the superintendent of education about our enthusiasm, and received support and guidance from teachers from Hokuryu High School, teachers from Hokuryu Junior High School, the principal of Hekisui Elementary School, and our kendo teacher.

Tanaka and Kanayama then said, "We'll get the whole town involved," and got everyone involved, including the town hall, land improvement project, and the chamber of commerce, and made an effort to "show the power of Kitaryū."

Without Mr. Tanaka's strong voice of "Let's do it," I think things would have just remained stagnant.

With the guidance of those teachers and the enthusiasm of the Board of Education, we were able to reach the top of the A class in our third year, win the championship in our fourth year, and become an ever-victorious school known as Hokuryu.

Tanaka's powerful attitude of "Why do we have to lose? We can do it too," and Kanayama's intelligent ability to come up with various strategies - I am proud of the time I had the opportunity to work together with these two men during my youth, under their guidance.

In 1965, a relay race was held in which the Hokkai Times Company ran around Kita Sorachi and all the way to Horokanai.

There were no athletes from Hokuryu who could possibly participate. However, Mr. Tanaka said, "We have to be the first to participate. We'll participate no matter what." The teacher and Mr. Tanaka traveled by motorcycle from Mihoushi to Ryusei for two days, and gathered nine athletes to participate.

At first, it was a miserable experience. After the competition, he was in the back of the group in the mountains of Tadoshi, unable to see the end, and had to ride on his companion's bike to pass the baton to the next runner. After the competition, he reflected, "This is no good. Why can't we do what other people can do?!" After that, he practiced hard every night and continued to work hard.

In the second tournament, they were within 3 seconds of the winning team. They became so strong that they were able to win the third, fourth, and fifth tournaments with overwhelming victories.

And not only track and field, but also kendo, judo, sumo, volleyball, and all the other athletics associations, all of which we worked hard for under the deep spirit of Chairman Shinohara. Mr. Tanaka said, "Okay, let's declare this a sports town and create a bright town through sports," and the Board of Education worked hard, and we were able to declare this the second "sports town" in Japan.

Surrounded by the generous support of Chairman Shinohara, each member worked hard and the Hokuryu Town Sports Association was even able to win the Hokkaido Sports Award.

It was all Tanaka Moriaki's power, and Kanayama's intelligent control of it - I believe the power of these two people was a great part of the strength of Hokuryu.

When the youth group was in its prime, there were over 3,000 members in 12 towns and villages in the northern Sorachi region. Naturally, Moriaki Tanaka and Shinichi Kanayama were the leaders of the northern Sorachi region and made great efforts.

I was fortunate to be appointed Secretary General both times, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work and serve such wonderful people in my life, to this day.

Tanaka's strengths of "never giving up," "trying anything without getting discouraged," "never complaining," and "putting absolute trust in your teammates while moving forward" have left a great legacy for Hokuryu today. I would like to express my sincere gratitude. Thank you very much.

"Let's have a toast to Tanaka-san's award! Congratulations!" said Kikura-san in a heartfelt toast.

feast

A sumptuous meal was served, and lively conversation took place among Mayor Sasaki, town council members, and relatives in a harmonious atmosphere.

All participants shared in Mr. Tanaka's joy.

Three cheers: Former Mayor Yutaka Sano

"It was a wonderful and harmonious celebration for Tanaka-san.

I am very grateful to Mr. Tanaka for all his help. Congratulations on receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays! Please join us in chanting "Banzai" three times!

I am truly pleased that he has received this Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, in recognition of his many years of contributions to the promotion of regional development and the town development of Hokuryu.

This is Tanaka Moriaki's determination to do his best until he is 100 years old. I would like to offer my heartfelt prayers for the health and happiness of the Tanaka family and all those in attendance, and I will shout "Banzai" three times in a loud voice.

Congratulations, Tanaka-san! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

And together with everyone, former Mayor Sano shouted "Banzai" three times with all his heart!

<Seeing off>

Profile of Mr. Moriaki Tanaka

• Born in January 1937 (88 years old)
• Graduated from Shinryu Elementary School and Kitaryu Junior High School.
• He has been engaged in agriculture since 1952.
• In 1956, he graduated from Nopporo Dairy High School through correspondence education.
• He has lived in Hokuryu Town for many years, making his living as a farmer.
• In 1983, he was elected to the Kitaryū Town Council with the recommendation of the local community.
  • He was active for 16 years over four terms (1983-1999).
  • He served as vice-chairman in his third term and chairman in his fourth term, demonstrating his skills to the fullest.
• He has served as the head of the Kitaryū Town Youth Group and the Kita Sorachi Youth Group.
  • September 1963: Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Youth Group Liaison Council.
  • 1967: Chairman of the Kita Sorachi Youth Organization Council.
  • The Youth Association is an organization made up of young people in their 20s and 30s from each region, and they hold various sports and cultural activities, research meetings, etc. Through this activity, Mr. Tanaka built the foundation for his character development.
• He worked for Kanayama Construction for five years while also working in agriculture.
  • In 2000, when Kanayama Construction Co., Ltd. established a new agricultural contracting business called the Agricultural Outsourcing Department, Mr. Tanaka, a farmer, took the lead in developing the new business.
  • This project, in which construction company employees and former local farmers were dispatched to work on farms during the busy farming season, attracted attention at the time and was featured in major newspapers and on NHK.
• He served as chairman of the Social Welfare Council for 10 years.
• After retirement, he enjoys playing park golf.
• On February 1, 2025, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays.

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