Hugo Fattoruso, the Country Brand Ambassador, will be honored for his musical and cultural contributions in Japan

Uruguayan musician Hugo Fattoruso, Country Brand Ambassador, will be honored by Emperor Naruhito with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, one of the highest distinctions awarded by Japan and the first time a Uruguayan citizen has received it. The award recognizes his extensive contribution to cultural exchange between Uruguay and Japan through music.

With an artistic career that has set the standard in Uruguay and around the world, Fattoruso has built a deep connection with Japan over decades, a country where he has toured more than 23 times in various cities. Much of that journey was alongside Japanese percussionist Tomohiro Yahiro, with whom he has formed the duo Dos Orientales since 2007—a project that has become a cultural bridge between the two nations.

The Japanese Embassy in Uruguay noted that the musician is “admired and respected” by the Japanese public and particularly praised his sustained contribution to mutual understanding between the two nations. Throughout his performances in Japan, Fattoruso shared the stage with numerous Japanese and Uruguayan artists, fostering ongoing artistic exchange.

As a member of Dos Orientales, he also participated in special and commemorative events, including concerts held following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, promoting international solidarity through music. He also took part in celebrations significant to bilateral relations, such as the 110th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Uruguay in 2018.

The honor joins a select list of international artists recognized with the same award in recent years, including Charles Aznavour, Omara Portuondo, Ennio Morricone, Ron Carter, and Olivia Newton-John.

The news comes following Fattoruso’s outstanding performance at Uruguay’s National Day celebration at the 2025 Osaka World Expo, held on June 17. There, alongside the Barrio Sur Quintet—comprising Albana Barrocas, Mathías Silva, Wellington Silva, and Guillermo Díaz Silva (members of Cuareim 1080)—he led a performance that brought Uruguayan cultural identity to the stage through candombe, milonga, and tango.

Japanese percussionist Tomohiro Yahiro and dancers Liz Aguirre and Naomi Kronberg also participated in the performance.

The show included moments particularly celebrated by the Japanese audience, such as Fattoruso’s piano rendition of La Cumparsita and a candombe performance that evoked the traditional Llamadas del Barrio Sur of Montevideo.

“It is a source of pride and a responsibility to be here,” the musician said during his performance in Osaka, reaffirming his commitment to representing Uruguayan culture abroad.

With this recognition, Japan highlights not only Hugo Fattoruso’s artistic career but also the role of culture as a tool for bringing peoples together and as a vehicle for projecting Uruguayan identity to the world.