The modern version of this honour has been conferred on non-Japanese recipients beginning in 1981 (although several foreigners were given the honor before World War II); and women were awarded the Order starting in 2003 (previously, women were awarded the Order of the Precious Crown).
Den moderna versionen av den här utmärkelsen har tilldelats icke-japanska mottagare sedan 1981 (även om flera utlänningar fick den före andra världskriget); och kvinnor har mottagit orden sedan 2003 (tidigare var kvinnor tilldelats Dyrbara Kronans orden).