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Japanese gov confers honour on Sri Lankan who built ties
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The Government of Japan has announced the conferment of “The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays” upon Mr Janak Jeevantha Bandaranayake for his contributions to promoting the cultural exchange between Japan and Sri Lanka.
Mr Bandaranayake worked at the Japanese Embassy in Sri Lanka over a span of three decades and contributed to elevating the cultural ties between the two countries.
He was also instrumental in inaugurating Sri Lanka’s national television network, Rupavahini through a Japanese grant aid in the early 1980s, which telecast the globally renowned Japanese TV drama “Oshin” in the 90s.
The fruits of Mr Bandaranayake’s labour were evident at the successful celebrations of the 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of Japan-Sri Lanka Diplomatic Relations where he worked hard to mark the milestones with various cultural events.His efforts to strengthen and further cement Japan-Sri Lanka relations began prior to his appointment at the Embassy where Mr Bandaranayake served as chief interpreter for the Sri Lanka Pavilion at the Tsukuba Expo held in Japan in 1985, and as a main organiser of cultural events for youth from various countries arriving in Sri Lanka on board the “Nippon Maru” as part of the “Ship for World Youth” endeavour organised by the Japanese Government.