 He was bestowed with the honorary title of Commendatore by the Italian Republic, in 2017.His recent publications include "Power of Design" (Nikkei Publishing Inc., 2007), "Local Industry + Design" (Gakugei Shuppan-Sha, 2009), "Venture for Design 1969 - Why I Went to Italy to Design" (Gakugei Shuppan-Sha, 2012), and many more.His DVD “Made with Heart and Soul”, 20 minutes documentary on Kita’s 40 years of collaboration with various local Japanese traditional arts and craftsmanship was awarded the Gold Prize of World Media Festival 2012 (Public Relations/Culture) at Hamburg, Germany, in 2012.