Shigeru Miyamoto Receives Japan’s Order of Culture on November 3

Nintendo said on October 22 that Shigeru Miyamoto will receive Japan’s Order of Culture on November 3, 2026, announced at a press conference at the company’s Kyoto headquarters. The Emperor of Japan presents the honor in person on Culture Day, and Miyamoto is one of eight recipients this year, selected in the government’s Media Arts (Gaming) category. Japanese media, including Automaton, report that he is the first game developer ever chosen for an award established in 1937 for remarkable contributions to Japanese culture and science.

Miyamoto, Nintendo’s Representative Director and Creative Fellow, joined the company in 1977 after graduating from Kanazawa College of Art, and told the press conference he now counts it as 50 years at Nintendo. GAME Watch’s write-up of the event carries his remark: “I’m truly honored to receive an honor like this. As I’ve often said, I didn’t make these things on my own — I made them together with a great many people, so I intend to represent them.”

It is his second national honor. In 2019, Miyamoto was named a Person of Cultural Merit for his work at Nintendo.

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report