Empress attends Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony in Tokyo

The Empress attended a Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday.

The Empress is the honorary president of the Japanese Red Cross Society. The biennial award — now in its 48th iteration — is administered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of nursing and other related activities.

The Empress presented the two Japanese winners — nurses Chiyoko Fujita, 63 and Noriko Tomabechi, 58 — with a medal and an award certificate.

Fujita works for the Fukuoka-based non-governmental organization Peshawar-kai, which carries out humanitarian support work in Pakistan and other countries. Tomabechi, deputy manager of the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center’s department for international medical relief, coordinated the response to the novel coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The ceremony was also attended by Japanese Red Cross Society honorary vice-presidents Crown Princess Kiko; Princess Nobuko, the wife of the late Prince Tomohito of Mikasa; and Princess Hisako, the wife of the late Prince Takamado.