In October 2008, Ozawa was honored with Japan's Order of Culture, for which an awards ceremony was held at the Imperial Palace.[16] He is a recipient of the 34th Suntory Music Award (2002) and the International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
On January 7, 2010, Ozawa announced that he was canceling all engagements for six months in order to undergo treatments for esophageal cancer. The doctor with Ozawa at the time of the announcement said it was detected at an early stage.[17][18] Other health problems with Ozawa have included pneumonia[19] and lower back surgery.[20]
In December 2015, Ozawa was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.