Royal Decoration for Mr. Fujio Mitarai of Canon Inc.

News article | June 21, 2012

On 20 June 2012, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Philip de Heer, presented Mr. Fujio Mitarai, chairman and chief executive officer of Canon Inc., with the royal decoration of the Commandership in the Order of Orange Nassau.

Mr. Mitarai has been appointed this royal decoration as a symbol for his work as chairman and CEO of Canon Inc. Canon Inc. is one of the largest and most important Japanese investors in the Netherlands. Apart from investing in the Netherlands and providing employment to many, Canon Inc. displays a large social engagement in the Netherlands and has contributed greatly to the strengthening of the ties between Japan and the Netherlands. The Canon Foundation in Europe, for example, which is based in the Netherlands, focuses on scientific and international cultural exchange between Europe and Japan. Canon Inc. has also been sponsoring World Press Photo, again an organization based in the Netherlands, for about twenty years and the company participates actively in the organizing committee of the Stchting Japan Festival (Japan Festival Association), a festival which aims to strengthen Japanese-Dutch ties. Furthermore, in 2010, Mr. Mitarai presented the Venlo Campus of the Maastricht University with an endowed chair in Business Service Innovation.

For over 50 years Canon has delivered pioneering imaging technologies to its customers in Europe. In the center of the company’s pan-European activities, Canon established its presence in the Netherlands in 1968. In 1982, Canon established its European Headquarters (Canon Europa N.V.) in Amsterdam at the location where the operational headquarters can still be found. Canon Europe now contributes around one third of Canon's global sales revenue and employs 11,000 people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In 2010, the Canon Group acquired Océ N.V., a Netherlands top-level company based in Venlo, and in 2012 Dutch company Delft DI joined the Canon Group as well.

Commandership in the Order of Orange-Nassau is the third highest class in the Order of Orange-Nassau, and the highest class in the Order for civilians. Royal decorations are only conferred on people who have rendered exceptional service to the Netherlands.