Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe presented the prestigious Seiron Taisho (Sound Argument) award to James E. Auer, senior lecturer in Asian studies, emeritus, during a ceremony held in Tokyo March 7.
Auer, a veteran naval officer who founded the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation at Vanderbilt in 1988, was the 31st recipient of this annual award and the first non-Japanese citizen to receive it. The award is presented by Japan’s Sankei Shimbun newspaper.