Message from H.E. Akira Sugiyama, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka on the occasion of the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan
First and foremost, let me begin by extending my warmest greetings to the Government and the People of Sri Lanka, as well as to the Japanese nationals residing in Sri Lanka, on this special occasion of the 85th birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Akihito.
Many of you may already know, this is the last occasion to celebrate our national day on December 23rd, the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Akihito, since His Majesty will abdicate on April 30th next year, to be succeeded by His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince on May 1st, the following day. On this most auspicious day, it is my great privilege to celebrate our national day in Sri Lanka while asking our friends in this beautiful island nation to join us in offering His Majesty our best wishes for continued good health and happiness.
Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress highly value cordial and friendly relations between Japan and Sri Lanka and cherish very fond memories of their 5-day official visit to Sri Lanka in 1981, when they were the Crown Prince and Princess. The then Crown Prince and Princess were enthusiastically welcomed by the Sri Lankan people everywhere they went, including the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, where the then Crown Prince planted a tree to commemorate their visit. I am glad to note that the tree is still being carefully looked after in the garden.
This year, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress warmly welcomed His Excellency the President Maithripala Sirisena and Madam Sirisena in audience during their official visit to Japan in March, as well as the Hon. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in February. These episodes symbolize our historical friendly relationship that has continued through generations.
This year has been another fruit- ful year for Japan-Sri Lanka relations, which we now call our “Comprehensive Partnership”, in a variety of areas.
In the political sphere, we have had frequent two-way visits at highlevel. In addition to very fruitful visits of His Excellency the President Sirisena and the Hon. Speaker Jayasuriya to Japan, Foreign Minister Ko n o visited Sri Lanka in January, the first Foreign Ministerial visit in 15 years, and we had Defense Minister Onodera here in August, the first ever Defense Ministerial visit in the history of our bilateral relations.
Our economic and business relations are also on the rise. This year saw a large-scale business delegation headed by the President of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry visit Sri Lanka in January. The membership of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka has reached a record high of 81 since its foundation in 1987 with 34. A variety of Japanese companies have opened new businesses here, including a solar panel manufacturing factory in Katunayake and a luxury hotel in Galle. JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) held several business seminars in Japan with participation of many Japanese companies, including on the occasion of His Excellency the President’s visit to Japan.
Japan has continued development cooperation for the economic growth and the improvement in quality of life for the people of Sri Lanka, especially through the development of high quality and resilient infrastructure. This year’s achievements include the rehabilitation and reconstruction of major 18 bridges in the Northern and the Southern Provinces, and the refurbishment of State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation, among others. We remain committed to extending further assistance to development of transportation infrastructure, including ports and airports.
In addition, Japan is also supporting a variety of projects at the grassroots level, including mine clearance in the conflict- affected areas of the Northern Province. We will continue to provide fullest support to the Government of Sri Lanka aiming to achieve a mine-free country by 2020.
To demonstrate our expanding “Comprehensive Partnership”, I would like to touch upon two areas of cooperation, which are maritime security and safety as well as the empowerment of women.
Japan and Sri Lanka are both maritime countries. Located at the heart of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has been playing a prominent role in promoting the freedom of navigation and the rule- based maritime order. To further strengthen these shared values and to achieve stability and prosperity of the Indo- Pacific Region, Japan has been expanding cooperation in maritime security and safety with Sri Lanka. In August, we provided two patrol vessels for the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. And in September, “KAGA”, the largest helicopter destroyer of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, made a good will port call to Colombo and, on this occasion, joint exercise in Search and Rescue was conducted in the Indian Ocean.
As for the gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the G7 Foreign Ministers agreed upon Women, Peace and Security Partnerships Initiative in April. Under this Initiative, Japan and Sri Lanka will work together to advance this agenda.
A strong political and economic relationship cannot be sustained without the foundation of mutual understanding through people to people exchanges at all levels. Firsthand experience is the most effective way to promote such mutual understanding, and I am pleased to note that the number of Japanese tourists visiting Sri Lanka is growing steadily, reaching 45,000 in 2017.
There is a growing trend among Sri Lankan people to visit overseas for pleasure as well. I am sure that Japan will attract Sri Lankan tourists with its rich and unique cultural experiences along with the beauty of natural landscape that changes colors according to the season you choose to visit. Although, this year, Japan suffered from a series of natural disasters, the affected areas such as Kansai, the western part of Japan, and Hokkaido have already recovered and are ready to welcome tourists from around the world. We would be grateful if you would choose Japan, especially these provincial areas, as your next destination.
His Majesty the Emperor mentioned in his speech, delivered at the State Banquet during his visit as the Crown Prince to Sri Lanka in 1981, “I sincerely hope that our friendship will be further strengthened, and that your people and ours will march together to enjoy the full dignity of human life in peace and prosperity”. With this in mind, on this happy occasion of the birthday of His Majesty, I am certain that the bonds of friendship between Japan and Sri Lanka will go from strength to strength, and that our relationship will gather further momentum in coming years.
Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people concerned for extending your friendship and cooperation to us so graciously throughout the year. I would also like to express my earnest wishes for a lasting peace and prosperity for the people of Sri Lanka, the furtherance of Japan - Sri Lanka friendly relations, and to the health and prosperity of all the readers of this article.