Hideki Matsuyama will become the second golfer to receive Japan's Prime Minister's Award after winning the 2021 Masters, according to Joel Beall of Golf Digest.
With the victory, he became the first male golfer from Japan to win a major.
"Hopefully, I'll be a pioneer and many other Japanese will follow," Matsuyama told reporters afterward.
"Amid the prolonged coronavirus crisis, he gave courage to and touched the hearts of everyone across Japan," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said after Matsuyama's win.
Ayako Okamoto was the first golfer to win the prestigious award in 1987 after her four wins on the LPGA Tour in 1987 and top-five finishes in every major.