Sir John Beddington, Senior Adviser to the Oxford Martin School, has been recognised by the Government of Japan for his contributions to strengthening the co-operation between Japan and the UK in the areas of science and technology.

At a ceremony at the Japanese Embassy in London on 26 June, Sir John, former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, was presented with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

Announcing the honour, an Embassy spokesman said: "Sir John played a significant role in advising the UK Government not to evacuate the British Embassy in Tokyo or UK nationals in Japan, after the tragic earthquake and tsunami and its subsequent effect on TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

"The advice that he gave during the disaster was very important to reassure not only the British citizens in Japan but also the Japanese people and rest of the world, and also helped the Japanese Government gain public confidence regarding its response to and basic policy on the Fukushima Daiichi accidents. We, the Japanese government and the Japanese people, recognise and sincerely appreciate his support when we were dealing with the crisis.

"He has made significant contributions to strengthen the co-operation between Japan and the UK in the area of science and technology for many years, and his contributions to Japan in the area of science and technology have improved the overall bilateral relations between our countries."

The embassy also cited Sir John's joint leadership of the UK-Japan Joint Committee on Cooperation in Science and Technology, his participation in the Japanese Science and Technology in Society forum and his involvement with Japanese research institutions, and thanked him for the advice he had given to Japanese researchers and government delegations visiting the UK.

The spokesman added: "The Government of Japan highly appreciates the significant contribution Sir John has made throughout his career. He greatly deserves to be honoured for his outstanding contribution to Japan-UK relations."