A Japanese architect, a former U.S. senator and a high-profile attorney will receive this year’s Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals. The award, co-sponsored by the University of Virginia, is UVa’s highest honor — the university does not award honorary degrees. Each year, UVa, in conjunction with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and operates Monticello, presents medals in architecture, law and citizen leadership, in honor of the third president of the United States.