Alberto Rubio
Cooperation with Spain, both bilaterally and multilaterally, was the focus of the speech given by the Japanese ambassador, Takahiro Nakamae, at the reception held last Friday to commemorate the birthday of Emperor Akihito, who turned 64 on the same day.
The ambassador began his speech by expressing his “deep condolences to the victims and their families” of the tragic fire which happened the previous day in Valencia and showing his “solidarity with all those affected”.
Underlining the “traditional friendship and close ties between the two royal houses as the fundamental pillar underpinning our bilateral relations”, Takamae said that we are in a “more difficult international situation, but at the same time our bilateral relations have become even closer”. To meet the challenges posed by this “historic turning point”, the ambassador expressed his desire to “cooperate with Spain, a strategic partner with whom we share universal values”.
In his review of global challenges, Takahiro Nakamae said that Japan “will once again unequivocally condemn terrorist attacks by Hamas and other groups”, while “we are seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation” and “will continue to make every diplomatic effort to ensure that all parties respect international humanitarian law”.
With regard to Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine”, he stressed that it is “a major challenge to the principle of the rule of law and constitutes an outrage that shakes the very foundations of the international order”, which is why “we will continue to strongly promote sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine in order to stop the invasion as soon as possible and achieve a just and lasting peace”.
With regard to bilateral relations with Spain, he recalled that last year the two foreign ministers met and the secretaries of state held a working meeting. In the area of public-private dialogue, the Spain-Japan Forum was also held in Salamanca. He also announced that a training fleet of Japanese self-defence forces will stop over in Valencia next August.
He also encouraged Japanese and Spanish companies to cooperate in the global market, as they have a strong international presence, and expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration in green energy through business missions such as those that have recently visited the Basque Country and Andalusia. He added that he hoped that Spanish companies would seek opportunities for expansion in Japan, as his country “has a highly developed investment environment, with an excellent human resource base and a high level of competitiveness”.
After welcoming the celebration of Japan Week’ last year in Seville and congratulating the two Spanish winners of the International Manga Award, Ambassador Nakamae announced that “Iberia’s direct flights to Japan will be back in service in autumn 2024”, which, he said, “will be a great boost to further stimulate tourism and commercial exchange between the two countries”.
