Bukochosho

The Bukōchōshō (武功徴章) ("Badge for Military Merit"), commonly called the Bukōshō, was a military decoration of the Empire of Japan, established on 7 December 1944 by Imperial edict. It was awarded by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) to living soldiers who had performed with exceptional valor in battle. Airmen, especially fighter pilots defending Japan against enemy bombers, were most likely to win the award. Exactly 89 Bukōshō were awarded during the eight months it was actively awarded.

Background

The Order of the Golden Kite had served for decades as an auspicious military award of the Japanese armed forces, and was the only Japanese Order that was solely awarded to the military (the Order of the Rising Sun and the Order of the Sacred Treasure could be awarded to either military or civilian recipients). However, the process by which Order of the Golden Kite was awarded was very lengthy: it was indeed awarded to military men who had died in service, while the remainder were normally awarded only after the end of a war, for services throughout the conflict. As the Second World War dragged on, it became apparent that there was a need to promote morale among active army units by rewarding acts of valor more readily. To this end the IJA suggested the Bukōchōshō as an alternate decoration for living recipients who had shown the highest valor in combat, to be awarded much more quickly by division commanders in the field. Emperor Hirohito established the award on 7 December 1944: the three-year anniversary of the attacks on Hong Kong and attack on Pearl Harbor which signaled the start of the Pacific War.