The Diplomat
The Spain-Japan Council Foundation has awarded its 9th Prize to the Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta and the Japanese company Fujitsu, according to the Spanish public diplomacy institution last Thursday.
The Foundation has been giving this award since 2011 to recognize citizens, companies and institutions that have contributed to bringing the societies of both countries closer together in any field. The awards will be presented on October 5 at the Keihanna Science City, within the framework of the XXII Spain Japan Forum.
The jury, which met on July 5, was made up of Josep Piqué, president of the Spain Japan Council Foundation; Mónica Vallejo, director of the Spain Japan Council Foundation; Ángeles Delgado, CEO of Fujitsu; Inmaculada Riera, director general of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce; Álvaro de la Cueva, partner lawyer at Garrigues; and Miguel López-Quesada, director of Communication, Marketing and Institutional Relations at Gestamp.
On the Spanish side, the Jury decided to award the La Mancha-born footballer Andrés Iniesta, “one of the most internationally recognized Spanish sportsmen” and who, after a long and successful career with Fútbol Club Barcelona and the Spanish national team, in 2018 signed for Vissel Kobe in 2018. “His global projection is enormous, and he is a great ambassador of Spanish culture in Japan, as well as a clear reference of the role of sport in strengthening bilateral ties,” the Foundation stated in its press release.
On the Japanese side, the Jury chose Fujitsu, “one of Japan’s leading companies in the field of new technologies”. Fujitsu has been a Trustee of the Spain Japan Council Foundation since 2013. The Jury valued “Fujitsu’s strong commitment to our country, which in 2023 will celebrate its five decades of implantation in Spain”. In addition, the IT sector, in which Fujitsu is a major global leader, is “one of the most important vectors of business collaboration between Spain and Japan, as was made clear at the last meeting between the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, and the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida,” added the Foundation.
