A prestigious Japanese imperial honor has been awarded to former Guam governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez, recognizing his lifelong efforts to strengthen friendship and cooperation between Guam and Japan. As Matsuki Hirayma reports, it's the highest honor Japan has presented to Guam.

Gutierrez, a former Guam governor, was officially granted the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, during a ceremony held Tuesday night at the official residence of the consul general of Japan in Hagatna. The imperial decoration-- one of Japan’s highest honors-- recognizes Gutierrez for his contributions to promoting friendship, interregional exchange, and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States, particularly Guam.

In accepting the award, Gutierrez spoke with humility, saying the honor represented more than a personal achievement. "It is with deep humility and gratitude that I accept the conferment of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. I am truly honored by this recognition, which I receive not as a personal achievement alone, but as a reflection of shared efforts and enduring friendship between our peoples," he said.

Gutierrez served as governor of Guam from 1995 to 2003, a period when Japan was guam’s largest tourism market and a key economic partner. The consul general of Japan, Susumu Ueda, said the honor reflected both leadership and character.

"It gives me great pleasure and honor to finally make this presentation," he shared.

One of the most emotional moments of the evening came as Gutierrez reflected on the shared history between Guam and Japan, including the pain of World War II, and the power of reconciliation. "I tell this story not to reopen old wounds, but to do the exact opposite," he said. "I tell this story to emphasize how far we have come in our journey as a people."

Gutierrez also spoke about a defining moment in modern Guam-Japan relations: the 1997 crash of Korean Airlines Flight 801. 

He was one of the first to arrive at the crash site and personally rescued 11-year-old Japanese survivor Rika Matsuda. "She happened to be half-Japanese/half-Korean," Gutierrez recalled. "It came out that she was more - she was communicating with me at the crash site in Japanese, because I didn’t know how to speak Korean."

"So when I found Rika and the other flight attendant, I was trying to trying to communicate in Japanese, like ‘Itai, itai, itai? Where do you hurt?’ That’s the only thing I knew. And she was pointing it out."

"I thought it would be forgotten already, but I guess not. It’s something that I wish no one to be in that position. But I happened to be there and thank God that some lives were saved."

The consul general said Gutierrez’s actions deeply moved people in both Japan and Guam and later earned him the US Department of Defense National Guard Bureau Eagle Award, along with widespread expressions of gratitude from Japan. "I have been blessed to have served in positions where I had opportunities to do some good in the lives of others, and I can only hope that in spite of my human flaws, this is what will define my legacy," he said.

The Order of the Rising Sun has been awarded to global leaders and statesmen around the world. On Wednesday, it was bestowed on a Guam leader who said the greatest honor of all remains the enduring friendship between the people of Japan and Guam.

"Biba Guahan!" he said.