Awards for Australian prime ministers

They may have rarely seen eye to eye in Parliament, but former Australian prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser are sharing Japan's highest honour for foreign nationals - the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Conferred by Japan's Emperor Akihito, the awards commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the basic treaty of friendship and co-operation between Australia and Japan, and recognise the instrumental role both men played in the landmark treaty.
Mr Whitlam, who led a parliamentary delegation to Japan as prime minister in 1973, is honoured for brokering the treaty, while Mr Fraser is recognised for concluding it, as well as for his foreign policy that positioned Australia and Japan both as partners and leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. Previous recipients include Douglas MacArthur and Curtis LeMay.