The Japanese government has awarded Portsmouth resident Charles B. Doleac with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work to foster a positive relationship with the Asian nation.

Doleac is president of the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire, which is based in Portsmouth, and helped organize the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum. The forum examines topics related to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, which ended the Russo-Japanese War, offering insight into the peace-making process today. The Portsmouth Peace Treaty was orchestrated by President Theodore Roosevelt and signed in 1905.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette award is issued by Japan twice a year to fewer than 100 foreign nationals. Doleac is one of 13 U.S. citizens to be honored in the 2011 Spring Decorations. He’s the only recipient from New England and the only New Hampshire resident ever to receive the award.