Japanese Emperor Awards Decoration to Udayana University Professor
Denpasar — Japanese Emperor Naruhito has awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon to Professor I Gede Putu Wirawan, a distinguished professor at Udayana University (Unud) in Bali, for his contributions to building academic and scientific relations in agriculture between Indonesia and Japan.
“It is hoped that the bestowal of this decoration will motivate continued contribution to the friendship between Japan and Indonesia, including Bali,” said the Japanese Consul-General in Denpasar, Miyakawa Katsutoshi, on Monday.
Miyakawa, representing the Japanese Government, presented the certificate and decoration at the Japanese Consulate-General office in Denpasar. The certificate, numbered 16101, was signed by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and officials from the Cabinet Secretariat’s Honours Bureau on 3 November 2025.
The Consul-General noted that Professor Wirawan has made significant contributions to biotechnology research development and strengthened academic relations between Indonesia and Japan.
Professor Wirawan expressed emotion upon receiving the decoration from Japan. In his remarks, he noted that science and technology play a fundamental role in addressing global challenges in agriculture, health, climate change, energy security and sustainable development.
“This award is not merely a personal honour but recognition of the close collaboration that has developed between scientists, institutions and friends in Japan and Indonesia,” he stated.
In addition to his position at Unud, Professor Wirawan has served as a visiting professor at Yamaguchi University in Japan since 2018. Since 1999, he has actively conducted collaborative research with universities and companies in Japan, focusing on agriculture with specialisation in genetics and molecular biology.
His research aims not only to enhance agricultural productivity but also to develop foundational agricultural technologies, including microbial technology for soil enrichment in arid lands. Additionally, technology developed to prevent soil erosion—the Takino Filter mat product created jointly with Yamaguchi University and a Japanese company between 2013 and 2016—has been widely applied in the Trans-Sumatran Toll and Cikampek Toll projects.
“Over the past decade, I have also studied the field of Balinese lontar medical texts—traditional medicines derived from plants—in collaboration with a cosmetics company,” he said.
Professor Wirawan is one of 104 foreign nationals to receive this highest honour for the autumn 2025 period. He was also one of the key initiators of the establishment of Udayana University’s Japan Studies Centre in 1999 and currently serves as head of the university’s Genetic Resources and Molecular Biology Laboratory Technical Implementation Unit.