Japanese chef Higuchi given French order

Japanese chef Hiroe Higuchi (L) is pictured with Jules Irrmann, consul general at the French consulate general in Kyoto, on Feb. 13, 2023, in the Mie prefectural city of Shima, western Japan. Higuchi, executive chef at Shima Kanko Hotel in the city, was recently conferred the rank of chevalier in the French Order of Agricultural Merit for her contribution to popularize French culinary culture in Japan.