The Diplomat
The Japanese Ambassador to Spain, Takahiro Nakamae, presented last Thursday, at his residence, the distinctions of the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs to the publishing house Siruela, the website ESJAPON.COM and Gabriel Álvarez Martínez, translator and professor of translation of literary texts at the University of Vigo.
These awards from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognise those people who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting friendly relations between Japan and other countries in different fields. It is a recognition and tribute to the contribution of these people and entities and aims to make their work known to the greatest possible number of citizens.
In presenting the award to the publisher Siruela, in the person of the editor Ana Laura Álvarez Vargas, the ambassador highlighted the outstanding contribution to the dissemination of Japanese literature and culture through its excellent editions of essential authors such as Junichiro Tanizaki and Kobo Abe, and great experts such as Donald Keene, one of the greatest authorities on Japanese culture in the West.
With regard to the ESJAPON.COM website, managed by Zipango, Ambassador Nakamae highlighted its contribution to the strengthening of the friendly relationship between Japan and Spain and stressed that, since its foundation in 2014, this digital and bilingual platform in Spanish and Japanese has become a real bridge between the societies of the two countries. He recalled that the work of the publication covers a wide range of information related to Spain and Japan, from news about cultural or business events, to announcements about renting a flat or looking for a job.
Finally, the ambassador, in presenting the award to Gabriel Álvarez Martínez, translator of Japanese literature and Manga from Japanese into Galician and Spanish, pointed out that he has provided readers of these languages with the delight of Japanese literary works and Manga, and with them, the customs, thought and essence of Japanese culture. He also recalled that his translations of Haruki Murakami, Kenji Miyazawa and Hiromi Kawakami are well known.
