Former Senator from the Glebe honoured by Japan
Japanese Ambassador Kanji Yamanoutchi awards former Senator Jim Munson with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
The Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
Former Senator from the Glebe honoured by Japan
By Roger Smith
Retired Senator Jim Munson, a longtime resident of the Glebe, was honoured by Japan in late November for his work during five years as co-chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group.
In a ceremony at the Japanese Embassy, in front of more than 100 people, including family, friends, diplomats, senators and MPs, Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi conferred on Munson the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
“It is an honour to award this prestigious decoration and celebrate Munson-san’s incredible contributions to the promotion of friendly relations and mutual understanding between Canada and Japan,” the ambassador said. “Allow me to personally thank you for your precious commitment to Japan-Canada relations.”
The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875 by the Japanese Emperor to recognize service to the state. There are six levels – the Gold and Silver Star is the second highest, and it has also been awarded to past co-chairs of Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group.
“I am so deeply grateful to receive one of your country’s most prestigious awards,” said Munson in his acceptance speech, noting the personal bond he had formed while working with the Japanese on issues like trade, nuclear safety and the environment.
“In my search to understand Japan, I like to believe I felt its soul, its values. Whether I was in Fukushima, the site of the nuclear power plant disaster, or laying a wreath in Hiroshima, I was moved to tears.”
Munson also joked about “baseball diplomacy,” pointing out that Canadian fans had huge respect for the Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, despite the heartbreak they inflicted by beating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.
Looking on proudly were Jim’s wife and closest advisor, Ginette, and their two sons –Jamie is a journalist and Claude is a musician.
Munson was a reporter for CTV, bookending two stints in Ottawa around assignments as a foreign correspondent in London and Beijing. A victim of network layoffs in 2001, he worked in the Prime Minister’s Office under Jean Chretien. In late 2003, Chretien appointed Munson to the Senate where he spent almost 18 years, focusing on issues like autism, Special Olympics and relations with Japan before retiring on his 75th birthday in 2021.
Former deputy prime minister John Manley praised Munson’s work in the PMO and the Senate, saying “I have to be careful what I say” because there were senators in the room. “There are senators who just go along for the ride,” he said, “but you, Jimmy, were a senator who got things done.”
(Full disclosure: I am a former colleague and close friend of Munson and also had the honour of speaking. I spared neither praise nor “short” jokes – Jim stands five-foot-four on tiptoes but, as he likes to say, “pound for pound, inch for inch,” he packs a lot of power, for his size.)
The dignity and emotion of the conferment ceremony gave way to a celebration over sushi, saki and music. Ambassador Yamanounchi, an accomplished musician, played Let It Be on the piano (he also plays guitar) while Munson and his former colleague, Senator Pierrette Ringuette, sang along.
One of the most touching moments involved Michael Trinque, a 37-year-old with Down Syndrome who worked for Munson for 15 years in the Senate – the two of them still go regularly to movies together. Michael’s first love is Pokémon; having heard Munson mention that in his speech, the ambassador sent staff to retrieve something from the cultural section, then called Michael on stage and presented him with a special Pikachu, his favourite character. A wide-eyed Michael grabbed the microphone, announced he was going to do an impression of another Pokémon character called Charizard, let out a roar, then gave back the mic. The crowd’s laughter was as loud as its applause.
Roger Smith is a former broadcast and print journalist and a friend of Jim Munson’s, as well as the Glebe Report’s copy editor and occasional writer.