Director did not attend 2003 Oscars for Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki will accept his honorary Academy Award on Saturday at the Governor's Award ceremony in Los Angeles. Miyazaki stated that receiving the award is "an honor" even if traveling to the United States from Japan is a "bit of a bothersome thing" for him.

Miyazaki did not attend the 75th annual Academy Award Ceremony in 2003 when his Spirited Away animated film was nominated and won Best Animated Film. Miyazaki said he "didn't want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq." The Academy also invited Miyazaki to join its ranks in June. Miyazaki received at least three earlier invitations, but he declined each time.

The Governor's Awards celebrate lifetime achievements of members of the film industry. The Oscar statuette of the Honorary Award is given "to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."

The 73-year-old director retired from directing feature films last year. Lately, he is making animated short films for the Ghibli Museum.

Source: Yahoo! News