Goku’s Voice Actor Becomes the First Voice Actor to Receive Prestigious Cultural Award

On October 19, 2025, it was announced that Japanese voice actor Masako Nozawa has been selected as the first seiyuu to receive the Person of Cultural Merit award.

This award comes with a 3.5 million yen ($23,300) a year for life.

Nozawa is prominently known as the voice actress for Goku and his son Gohan in the Dragon Ball franchise.

The Person of Cultural Merit is awarded to 20 persons per year chosen by the Japanese Prime Minister based on their contributions to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in various fields, such as the sciences, arts and culture, which ties in with anime and manga.

Hayao Miyazaki was the first person from the anime, manga and video games industry to have received this award in 2012, followed by “The Poe Clan” manga creator Moto Hagio and “Mario” creator Shigeru Miyamoto in 2019, and “Gundam” creator Yoshiyuki Tomino and “Wata no Kuni Hoshi” manga creator Yumiko Oshima in 2021.

On receiving this news, Nozawa stated:

“I understand this honor is one I receive on behalf of the voice acting community. I feel immense pride that the spotlight of this award shines not only on myself, but also on my seniors, my peers, and the younger generation who will venture into the future of voice acting.

I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all the creators who have brought these works and characters to life, and to the fans who continue to support us unwaveringly. It is only through your existence that “culture” is nurtured, and that our journey as voice actors continues to be made possible.

My only real asset is my energy, so I intend to keep delivering my “voice” with all my might, hoping to contribute even a little to repaying my debt to culture.”

The award ceremony will be held on November 3, 2025.

Source: Nippon News

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