FY2026 Outstanding Skilled Workers Selected
Overview
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare selected 141 people for the FY2026 Outstanding Skilled Workers award, commonly known as the “Contemporary Master Craftsman” award, including Mamoru Hashimoto, a metalworking machinery assembler. Established in 1967, the award recognizes skilled workers with exceptional abilities who are regarded as leaders in their fields. The ceremony will be held on November 9 at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Hashimoto works on standardizing lapping operations within his company, repairing wear on sliding surfaces, and making equipment used in quality control.
Key points
- The 141 FY2026 “Contemporary Master Craftsman” award recipients have been selected.
- The award ceremony will be held on November 9 at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo.
- Mamoru Hashimoto, a metalworking machinery assembler, is among the award recipients.
Overview
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare selected recipients for the FY2026 Outstanding Skilled Workers award, commonly known as the “Contemporary Master Craftsman” award. Mamoru Hashimoto, a metalworking machinery assembler, is identified as a representative recipient.
The Outstanding Skilled Workers award was established in 1967 and recognizes skilled workers with exceptional abilities who are regarded as leaders in their fields.
Details
The ceremony will be held on Monday, November 9, at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Members of the press may register for coverage at the venue on the day; advance registration is not required.
Hashimoto has standardized lapping operations within his company after repeated prototyping and research aimed at improving product precision. He hand-finishes sliding surfaces on equipment using scraping and repairs worn areas to a straightness precision of 2 µm per 200 mm. He also makes equipment important for quality control, including parts inspection machines for company products and bonding jigs.
The accompanying materials cover representative skilled workers, the list of award recipients, the ceremony, and an overview of the award system.