The Diplomat
The Spain-Japan Council Foundation held last week the first meeting of its Board of Trustees in 2023, which addressed the revitalization of bilateral relations after “a relative hibernation during the pandemic”.
As reported by the Foundation in a press release, the Board of Trustees meeting was held on June 28 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid and brought together representatives of Spanish and Japanese companies, universities, public institutions and the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs: that of Japan, represented by the Ambassador in Madrid, Takahiro Nakamae; and that of Spain, represented by the Deputy Director General for South Asia, Carmen Cano, and the Spanish Ambassador in Tokyo, Fidel Sendagorta.
The meeting, which began with a tribute to Josep Piqué, president of the Foundation between 2007 and 2022 who passed away last April, addressed the various areas of collaboration between the two countries “at a turbulent time”, such as defense, cooperation in third markets (with a special focus on the Global South) or the challenges of Artificial Intelligence.
Through a videoconference message, Ambassador Sendagorta stressed the importance of advancing in defense cooperation “at a time of strategic convergence between Europe and Japan to increase their cooperation, based on a common analysis of the threats that loom over democratic countries”.
For her part, Carmen Cano stressed that “relations between Spain and Japan have experienced a significant boost in recent years following the end of the restrictions arising from the pandemic, but also following the Russian aggression against Ukraine”, and stressed that this fact “has highlighted the need for countries that share values and a very similar worldview to continue working together”.
Ambassador Nakamae emphasized “the common mission of engagement with emerging countries, in what is now known as the Global South”. He also highlighted the progress in political, scientific and cultural exchanges and expressed his hope that tourism flows would recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The board also assessed the Foundation’s activity in 2023, marked by the celebration of the XXIII Spain Japan Forum, which will take place between November 28 and 30 in Salamanca, and by the first edition of the Japanese Leaders program, which takes place in Madrid and Barcelona between July 3 and 7.
