Japan Gives Akio Toyoda Its Top Rank of the Rising Sun

Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda was named on November 3 to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest class of one of Japan’s most senior state honors.

The Japanese government named him on November 3 in its list of autumn 2026 decorations, which are chosen from nominations made by government ministries. Toyoda was put forward by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The honor was reported by Car Watch, which published a statement from Toyoda dated the same day. In it, he called the award "an honor beyond words" and credited the colleagues he has worked alongside, customers in Japan and around the world, suppliers, dealers and local communities. "I have pursued ‘making ever-better cars’ and, beyond that, ‘mass-producing happiness’ together with many colleagues," he said, adding that the auto industry "supports the lives and dreams of many people" and that he will keep "taking on the challenges of the future" with his colleagues while contributing to Japan’s industry and society. The quotes are our translation of the Japanese statement.

Toyoda joined Toyota in 1984 and became president in June 2009, then chairman in April 2023, according to his company biography. His career includes a posting in California as an executive vice president and board member at NUMMI, the production joint venture Toyota ran with General Motors, starting in 1998. The decoration also adds to a run of industry honors, and Car Watch’s coverage lists his World Car Person of the Year award in 2021, the Spirit of Le Mans award in 2023, his induction into the UK’s Motoring Hall of Fame and Germany’s Golden Steering Wheel from Auto Bild in 2025, and his induction into the US Automotive Hall of Fame, which was announced in February 2026 and held in September.

The Toyota Report Take

State honors are a Japanese story first, but this one is worth a note on an American site because few executives have shaped what Toyota sells here more than Toyoda. The GR cars, the push to keep hybrids at the center of the lineup and the company’s habit of going racing all trace back to his years in charge.

The timing is also telling. Toyoda now carries one of his country’s highest honors in the same year he joined the US Automotive Hall of Fame, and he has made it clear that he still sees himself as a car guy first. Nobody should expect him to step back from the steering wheel any time soon.