The Diplomat
Japan’s new ambassador, Takahiro Nakamae, assured yesterday, on the occasion of his arrival in Madrid to take office, that his country “wishes to strengthen collaboration with Spain in the field of security and defense” in a world in which the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region have become “indivisible”, while pledging to strengthen business relations through “joint projects” in sectors such as renewable energy or infrastructure.
“On December 12, I arrived in Madrid to assume the post of Japan’s ambassador to Spain,” writes the ambassador in a greeting message published yesterday by the Embassy’s website. “I returned to this wonderful country after having lived for two years in Valladolid and Madrid between 1986 and 1988, when I was beginning my career as a diplomat,” he continued. Since then, Spain has undergone “an extraordinary transformation” and that country, “enthusiastic about joining the European Community, is today the fourth largest power in the EU,” he said.
According to Takahiro Nakamae, “bilateral relations between Spain and Japan are sustained by the bonds of friendship cultivated for centuries, in which the close ties between the Royal House and the Imperial House are noteworthy.” “On this solid foundation, our relationship has developed enormously thanks to the deepening of mutual understanding through commemorations such as the Spain-Japan Dual Year between 2013 and 2014, or the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2018, and also to the revitalization of exchange in various areas of society,” he said. “In this context, today we are in a stage of consolidation and strengthening of this relationship as strategic partners,” he stressed.
In the ambassador’s view, the relationship between Spain and Japan “still has great potential for improvement.” “Currently, the world’s security environment is increasingly complex and the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is indivisible” and, therefore, “Japan wishes to strengthen collaboration with Spain in the field of security and defense,” he said. “In addition, Spain will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2023, so I would like to work to strengthen contacts with this country also in the context of cooperation with Japan,” he said.
On the other hand, Takahiro Nakamae assured, “there are great expectations that business relations between the two countries will be strengthened through joint projects in areas with great future projection, such as renewable energy or infrastructure”. “I will do everything possible so that Japanese and Spanish companies can develop joint projects, even in third countries in Latin America or Asia, that will benefit everyone,” he announced. “I have devoted a large part of my diplomatic career to relations with Latin American countries, so I put my humble experience at your disposal,” he added.
“To improve relations between countries, it is essential that people know each other well and respect each other” and, therefore, “I want to address the great interest of Spaniards towards Japan and revitalize cultural, scientific and tourism exchange to further deepen mutual understanding,” the ambassador stated. “The pandemic situation that limited our flow of activities seems to be improving and private tourism to Japan is possible without the need for a visa,” he said.
Takahiro Nakamae, 62, replaces Kenji Hiramatsu, who returned to Tokyo at the end of October after staying in Japan since January 2020. Throughout his career, the new ambassador has been closely related to Ibero-America, as he was director of the Latin American Affairs Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2017 and 2019 and ambassador to Argentina from that year to the present. Apart from that, he was responsible for Mexican, Central American and Caribbean affairs within the Ministry, consul general of Japan in Sao Paulo and member of the Embassy in Brazil.
