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The Government of Japan announced Sunday the conferment of The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, on Jaime Zobel de Ayala, chairman emeritus of Ayala Corp., in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the economic relations between Japan and the Philippines.

The Embassy of Japan made the announcement on Monday.

As a major conglomerate in Philippine industry, Ayala Corp covers a wide range of businesses including real estate, finance, telecommunications, and water. Ayala Corp. has also been doing business with Japanese companies for a long time, it said.

"Thanks to Mr. Jaime Zobel de Ayala’s strong leadership, a lot of projects have been successful. For example, in 1990, Ayala Corp established an industrial park, which helped recover the confidence of investors after incidences of insurgency, and contributed to increase in investments in the Philippines by Japanese companies," the Embassy said,.

Ayala Corp. has organized several Japanese-related exhibitions, such as Japanese Manga, an exhibition to commemorate the damage of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the Kusama exhibit in Ayala Museum.

"Ayala Corp. has contributed greatly to the understanding and promotion of Japanese culture in the Philippines," the Embassy of Japan said.

"The Government of Japan extends its sincere congratulations to Mr. Ayala, and hopes that he will continue to take an active role in further strengthening close relations between our two nations, " it added. DMS